Product Launch Rebel

Let's face it, many aspiring entrepreneurs are held back by a fear of selling. In this episode, I interview sales luminary, Mickeli Bedore, where he provides insider tips on strengthening your sales skills, establishing the right mindset and overcoming rejection. Additionally, he reveals the story about when a key person underestimated him when he was a teenager, which drove him to become a sought-after keynote speaker and a sales superstar in some of the world's biggest companies, such as IBM, Verizon and Oracle. Leave a Rating & Review in iTunes for the Product Launch Rebel Podcast (http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1136273740) Top Takeaways from this Episode: (1) Acquiring and nurturing "emotional intelligence" is an important quality for a successful sales person. (2) To be successful at something, it's important to develop an appreciation for something. Appreciation helps to drive learning, which leads to success. (3) Curiosity is at the root of any successful sales person. The best marketers and sales professionals are driven by a perpetual interest in others' situations and needs. (4) Introverts can be very successful sales people, because of their heightened ability to listen, demonstrate empathy and thoughtfully solve problems. (5) The fear of rejection in sales can be diminished by (a) knowing that we all experience rejection in various ways, (b) by understanding that a "no" isn't necessarily bad and (c) by investigating the "why" behind the "no." Transcript: Transcript coming soon!

Today's episode highlights the fascinating topic of luck. It explores important questions such as: (1) Do you believe in luck? (2) Have you experienced luck in your life, career or startup? (3) What role does luck play, if any, in a startup? (4) Can luck be created for oneself, or do some people just have more luck than others? Leave a Rating & Review in iTunes for the Product Launch Rebel Podcast (http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1136273740) Top Takeaways from this Episode: (1) Simply being alive and healthy is, itself, the great foundation of luck. We take much of life and its resources for granted -- and there's so much luck available to us, regardless of our weaknesses or starting point. (2) You have the power to increase your luck in a very simple way. Simply, you can do it by setting a goal. When you set a goal and move towards it, it’s a proven principal that the world delivers more luck to you.  Transcript: John Benzick: Greetings, everyone, John Benzick here, welcome once again to the Product Launch Rebel podcast. As always, if you like the podcast, share it with others and post a review on Apple Podcasts. You know, the other day, I was asked to speak on an entrepreneurship panel on the topic of luck and how it relates, if at all, to the notion of successfully starting a business. It was a fascinating topic, so I thought I’d extend the conversation to you guys. During that panel, we were asked questions such as: Do you believe in luck? Have you experienced luck in starting your business? What role does luck play, if any, in a startup? Can luck be created for oneself, or do some people just have more luck than others? As I considered these questions, I expressed that, when intersecting with hard work and perseverence, and luck can be, and often is, a factor in successful startups. Not all of the panel participants felt the same, but Consider that there’s a spectrum of situations that can occur for entrepreneurs; On one end of the spectrum, unprepared or disadvantaged entrepreneurs can succeed with their startups, sometimes wildly, when they are in the right place at the right time for their product to be accepted by the market. A startup can succeed in spite of an entrepreneur’s or even a product’s imperfections. On the other end of the spectrum, we’ve seen very experienced and highly skilled entrepreneurs that have outright failed in their startups, when the hidden market conditions surrounding them conspire against them. Now, of course, one of the key elements of whether or not a startup succeeds is the leader of the startup.  But what I’m saying here is that there’s another key driver, and often a more powerful one, which is market timing – which often includes the key element of luck. Not always, but often, the entrepreneur has to be somewhat lucky to correctly time the demand of the market. Even if one is slightly too early, or slightly too late, it could effect their survival. So, despite the level of entrepreneurial skill and persistence, sometimes, luck plays a huge factor. As an example, I read a lot of rock-n-roll biographies, and what I often see is that a lot of famous musicians, especially those from pre-internet days, when they look back at their careers, they claim that luck has played a key role in that success. They were in the right place at the right time when they were discovered, or by pure accident, they were centered in a confluence of trends, bringing them a tidal wave of success, despite their artistic weaknesses. Another example, in business, is if an industry is consolidating, either on the buyer side, or the manufacturer side. Industry maturity and consolidation (i.e. market timing) can have a huge impact on the luck, or success, of a startup.  A quick example of this would be the ski and snowboard industry, where the...

Hear how Mike West, the founder of 686 Outerwear, launched his snowboard brand just out of college, with no formal design experience.  Listen as Mike describes his past mistakes as a “blessing in disguise.” Hear him express the importance of curiosity, listening, and remaining humble, as an entrepreneur.  Additionally, Mike encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to not wait for the perfect time to start a business. Leave a Rating & Review in iTunes for the Product Launch Rebel Podcast (http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1136273740) Top Takeaways from this Episode: (1)  To become an entrepreneur, put yourself out there and take a chance; be prepared but don’t aim for perfection. (2)  It helps to be a regular customer for the types of products that you’ll sell as an entrepreneur.  This helps you understand the needs and desires of your customer base. (3)  Starting out, you can do a lot with a little. You don’t need much staff to start a clothing business.  Much of what you do can be outsourced to other suppliers and freelancers. (4)  Counterintuitively, business challenges and mistakes can be blessings in disguise. Transcript: John Benzick:  Oh man, in this terrific episode I interview Mike West, the founder of 686, The Technical Snowboard Outerwear Company. And one of my favorite parts in the interview was when Mike emphasized a key decision point of entrepreneurship, which is the importance of not waiting for the perfect time to start a business, and learning to be comfortable, or courageous enough, to just get started and to take the leap. Mike West:  Putting yourself out there, and maybe going out and learning it firsthand is okay. You will never be ready and everything set to go. You have to be ready but you won’t have everything perfect. I would have never been able to be where I’m at without taking a chance. And you will give excuses to yourself about why you can’t do it, but if you want to try it, try it. And if you don’t, it’s fine. It’s not for everyone, believe me. There’s so much pressure right now to be that guy. You don’t need to. But give it a try if you want to. John Benzick:  Greetings product launch rebels and welcome to the Product Launch Rebel Podcast, brought to you by venturesuperfly.com, where we help double your entrepreneurial courage, even if you’re in a sea of self-doubt. Please visit the Venture Superfly website and check out the contact page to join our mailing list. John Benzick:  Today I’m stoked to interview Mike West, the founder and CEO of 686 Outerwear for snowboarders. He started the brand just out of college with no formal design experience. When you go into many outdoor retailers across the country, you’ll see 686 prominently displayed. In fact, our family is a happy customer of 686. All of my three step kids, even Nadia and Pierce, wear 686 when they’re riding on the slopes, keeping them warm and dry and stylish to boot. John Benzick: Mike also launched Matix Clothing, which is a lifestyle apparel brand stemming from the skateboard and surf culture of Southern California. Mike is a partner in North America’s largest action sports and outdoor warehouse fulfillment center called NRI Distriubtion, where they help distribute leading brands like Electric Eyewear, SurfTech, Outdoor Research, Black Diamond and many others. John Benzick:  And finally, later this year, Mike is planning to launch a new direct to consumer apparel brand called Westwell, which will play in the larger menswear and soon womenswear markets. Stay tuned for that. Mike’s a really creative force, that’s for sure. John Benzick:  Without further ado, let’s say high to Mike West. Mike, thanks for being here and welcome to the Product Launch Rebel Podcast. Mike West:  Thanks, John. Thanks for having me. When you list all those things up, I don’t

Hear how David Barnett, the founder of PopSockets, evolved from philosophy professor to entrepreneur, and quickly grew his smartphone accessory company to 40 million units sold in his fourth year. Listen as he describes how employing “the power of reason” became a key to his success. Learn how his early product assumptions changed based on customer feedback — thereby leading to crucial new product and marketing strategies. Additionally, hear how he overcame early manufacturing challenges to finally achieve massive success. Leave a Rating & Review in iTunes for the Product Launch Rebel Podcast (http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1136273740) Top Takeaways from this Episode: (1)  Don’t defer to the norm. Don’t defer to what most companies do. Don’t defer to general rules of thumb about how to start a business. Think through every problem on your own. Weigh the pros and cons and reason through it. It will bring you success. (2)   We have an amazing opportunity here in the United States that most people in the rest of the world just don’t have — opportunities to start our own business. (3)   Do not quit your job or quit school to become an entrepreneur, unless you have good reason to think your idea will be successful. Transcript: John Benzick: You know, one of the great things about my role interviewing entrepreneurs is that I get to hear so many diverse perspectives and advice on how to best launch a business; and as a result you’ll learn that there’s just not one or two or even three ways to succeed as an entrepreneur. There are many ways, many different ways to succeed. But the challenging part is that the advice I hear from one entrepreneur for example, can very often conflict with another entrepreneur’s point of view on a particular topic. And so it’s interesting to hear in this interview with David Barnett, the founder of Pop Sockets, how he uses the power of reason to sort through the noise and advice that he gets when he needs to make effective, crucial decisions. As a new entrepreneur who’s struggling to find his way. David Barnett: They’ve actually learned that the power of clear thinking, I just have more and more confidence that people should not be deferring to the norm. Don’t defer to what most companies do. Don’t defer to what, what’s normal out there in business. Don’t defer to general rules of thumb about how to start a business. Think through every problem on your own, you know, weigh the pros and cons, really reason through it. It will bring you success. So it’s helped a lot that I paid no attention to someone’s background or when somebody says I’m an authority on this. To me, I didn’t even hear that until they give an actual reason for making a decision one way or another, it’s not going to have any impact on me. So the power of reason, I guess, is quite powerful and in business. John Benzick: Today I’m interviewing David Barnett. He’s the founder and CEO of pop sockets. If you don’t know about Pop Sockets, the offer very clever smartphone accessories. My family has been using them for an a of years now and I’ve had my own custom made venture superfly branded Pop Socket as well, which is super cool. David officially started pop sockets in 2014 and now in 2018 he has sold over 40 million pop sockets worldwide. 40 million. This will be a terrific interview to learn about David’s journey as a new entrepreneur, especially since his previous career, at least on paper, was drastically unrelated to his new trajectory as a business owner. To learn more about his company, visit pop sockets.com David, thanks for being here and welcome to the Product Launch Rebel podcast. David Barnett: Thanks John. It’s super cool to be here. John Benzick: Oh, I’m super excited. So David, there are three segments in

Hear this new episode where John interviews entrepreneur Joe Kudla, the founder of Vuori Clothing. Listen as Joe uses fear as an opportunity to grow professionally and personally. Learn how Joe raised capital for his startup, who has influenced him the most as a business owner, and what has brought him the most joy -- and frustration -- since starting his company. Leave a Rating & Review in iTunes for the Product Launch Rebel Podcast (http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1136273740) Top Takeaways from this Episode: (1)  Experiencing fear could be a way to identify where you need to grow, either personally or professionally.  Let fear be a guide, not a burden. (2)  Lacking experience, in your startup, can often be a curse -- but it also has its benefits. (3)  It's amazing what you can accomplish when you rid yourself of ego, and trust people with their expertise. Transcript: John Benzick:  In today's interview, I talk with Joe Kudla the founder of Vuori, a hot new clothing brand out of southern California. You'll hear Joe talk about his joys and frustrations of being an apparel entrepreneur along with key advice on all aspects of launching a startup. One of the key lessons revealed in the interview was how Joe uses fear to his advantage, which is in contrast to how most of us experience fear, which is unfortunately a barrier to our own personal and professional advancement. Joe Kudla:  I've always enjoyed that kind of risk versus reward relationship, and I've never been afraid of taking a risk and falling on my face. And I guess if I was to say anything, it's to let fear sometimes guide you and for me, if I'm afraid of something, I'm typically drawn to it. So the idea of going out and getting in over my head or you know, taking a public speaking engagement or talking on a podcast. Sometimes it can be a little scary, but I try to use that as a beacon to know that I need to walk through that door if I want to grow as a human being, and I think that that has served me well in entrepreneurship. John Benzick:  Greetings Product Launch Rebels and welcome to the Product Launch Rebel podcast brought to you by VentureSuperfly.com where we help double your entrepreneurial courage, even if you don't know what you're doing, please visit the Venture Superfly website and check out the contact page to join our mailing list. Bear with me today as I'm trying to recover from a cold. As you might hear my voice by won't let that hold me back with my excitement because today I'm interviewing Joe Kudla. He's the founder and CEO of a clothing brand called Vuori clothing based in Encinitas, California. The brand has sort of a west coast vibe, but with definite and smart technical elements. Joe Distributes his brand through leading retailers, including REI and Core Power Yoga. Additionally, Joe has an interesting background. He grew up in avid multisport athlete. He attended the University of San Diego and a model traveling the world for major fashion brands. Then was a CPA for Ernst and Young and even started and grew a successful professional staffing company. This'll be an inspiring interview to learn more about Joe's startup journey and to learn more about Joe's company, visit the Vuoriclothing.com; that's V, U, O, R, I clothing.com. In fact, Joe has kindly offered a 25% discount on any item at the company's website when you enter the Promo Code "Rebel 25" so be sure to do that as soon as possible. Hello, Joe, thanks for being here, and welcome to the Product Launch Rebel podcast. Joe Kudla:  Thanks so much for having me, John. I'm excited to be on the phone. John Benzick:  Oh man, I'm excited. That's for sure. So Joe, within this podcast there are three segments. The first is called, give me the basics, which helps set the context about your company for our listeners. The second part is let's get personal where we get into some of the more personal topics about what it's like to start a business.

Hear this inspiring interview of Jim Lamancusa, the founder of Cusa Tea company.  Listen as he describes the joys of starting the world’s first “premium instant tea” brand, along with his advice on partnering with a manufacturer, selling to retailers, proper price strategy and overcoming bouts of self doubt. Leave a Rating & Review in iTunes for the Product Launch Rebel Podcast (http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1136273740) Transcript: Transcript will be posted within 24 hours.

Hear the spectacular entrepreneur journey of Eugene Alletto, the Founder of Bedgear, a performance bedding company. Learn how overcoming the loss of his father as a teenager, in large part, drove him to eventually succeed as an innovator and business owner. Listen as he shares his wisdom on the topics of perseverance, resilience and utilizing your strengths to overcome life’s obstacles. Leave a Rating & Review in iTunes for the Product Launch Rebel Podcast (http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1136273740) Top Takeaways From This Episode: (1)  You can teach yourself to not be a victim of your circumstances. Successful entrepreneurs have a key trait of not taking on a victim mentality. (2)  “Being an entrepreneur is not something that you can say you are. Being an entrepreneur is something you become. I had no idea. I wasn’t born to be an entrepreneur.” (3)  “Part of being an entrepreneur is learning every day. And if you’re not learning, you’re not growing personally. And if you’re not growing personally, you can’t grow professionally.” (4)   If you aim your mind towards things that you’re passionate about, you can become a great learner. And learning can deliver you success. Transcript: John Benzick: This episode of Product Launch Rebel features Eugene Alletto, the founder of Bed Gear. I walked away from the interview feeling inspired by a guy who became really transformed by entrepreneurship and by following his vision of a better bedding company. This is a guy who had lost one of his parents at a very young age and at face value, didn’t have anything special to offer; not being particularly good at schoolwork, not being a great athlete, having bad skin, a bad haircut, and as he describes — lacking confidence as a young man — not being one of those “chosen ones” within his peer group. But as you will hear in this episode, you’ll see how starting a business built his confidence in not just his career, but other areas of life. A value packed episode is in store for you as you hear an entrepreneur’s story about persistence, pursuing what you’re good at and passionate about, and learning that you’re capable, and not a victim, of your poor circumstances. Eugene Alletto: Just the ability to just move on and not not get pissed off at what you’re not good at, or not get pissed off at circumstances, or not get angry when someone says no to you and blame it on somebody else is really, I think from an entrepreneur’s perspective, the people I meet that start businesses and are successful entrepreneurs and are happy are ones that are not victims and it’s really an lesson — and I think it’s something you can even teach yourself. John Benzick: Greetings, Product Launch Rebels and welcome to the Product Launch Rebel podcast brought to you by VentureSuperfly.com where we help double your entrepreneurial courage, even if you don’t know what you’re doing. Please visit the Venture Superfly website and check out the contact page to join our mailing list. Today I’m excited to interview Eugene Alletto. He’s the founder and CEO of a super cool bedding product company called Bed Gear. I met him at the massive Las Vegas Market furniture trade show and I was blown away by the smart products his company is offering, which includes some really high tech mattresses, pillows and sleep related products. In fact, as I was walking through Bed Gear’s showroom, I thought that if Nike got involved in the bedding industry, this is the type of stuff they’d be doing, Bed Gear has done a great job of applying the concept of performance to bedding, applying things like their Air Tex, Dry Tech and Vertex technologies. To learn more about Eugene’s company, visit BedGear.com. Hey Eugene, thanks for being here and welcome to the Product Launch

Hear the fascinating story of how Ken Goldman launched his dog gear company, Stunt Puppy.  Learn how he started producing dog leashes and collars by hand, and how he utilized his professional marketing experience to grow the brand. Listen as he describes his number one lesson since starting Stunt Puppy, and who has most influenced him in his career. Hear why he chose to produce his products in the United States, and what has frustrated him the most as an entrepreneur. Leave a Rating & Review in iTunes for the Product Launch Rebel Podcast (http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1136273740) Transcript John:  Greetings Product Launch Rebels, and welcome to the Product Launch Rebel podcast, brought to you by Venturesuperfly.com, where we help double your entrepreneurial courage, even if you don’t know what you’re doing. Please visit the Venture Superfly website and check out the contact page to join our mailing list. Today we’ll be learning about the pet product industry, which should be a lot of fun. I’m interviewing Ken Goldman. He’s the founder of a unique brand of dog gear called Stunt Puppy. It offers products such as collars and leashes that are designed and made in the United States, right here in Minnesota. The company designs products with cues from the rugged camping and climbing gear industry, so they are extra durable. Seems pretty smart and cool. Ken’s products are available at StuntPuppy.com, as well as through many retailers across the United States. To learn more about his company, visit StuntPuppy.com. Hello, Ken. Thanks for being here, and welcome to the Product Launch Rebel podcast. Ken:  Oh, it’s great to be here. Thanks for the invitation. John:  Absolutely. This is going to be a lot of fun. Thanks for your time. Ken, within this podcast there are three segments. The first is called “give me the basics,” which helps set the context about your company for our listeners. The second part is called “let’s get personal” where we get into some of the more personal topics about what it’s like to start a business. The final part is what I call “tell me how” where we’ll get to the heart of the matter on issues that aspiring entrepreneurs want to know now to help them move forward. What do you think, Ken, are you ready for some questions? Ken:  I’m ready and I’m hoping you’re gonna tell me how at the end. John:  Fantastic, here we go! 02:29 — Ken, tell us the story. How did you originally come up with the idea to start Stunt Puppy? Ken:  It probably sounds cliché but it definitely was not on purpose. My dog Bauer and I, he was a golden retriever and we were a therapy team so we spent a lot of time in hospitals moving out and about and I wanted some gear that helped us move around the hospital easier and more fluidly. And that combined with the fact that I know how to sew, combined with the fact that I love gear, uh, it just all kinda came together. I went down to my basement and started making stuff for he and I. So we were, it’s definitely a happy accident. Um, then layer on top of that, I have another company that’s a marketing agency and we kind of looked at it and said, hey, we could build a brand around that. So that was 11 years ago. 03:31 — John:  Yeah. That’s very interesting. And tell me about your sewing background. How did you get into that? Ken:  Definitely not on purpose. My mom, who still sews to this day, she’s a big quilter and so I was the youngest of three and just kind of hanging around so I stepped in a lot of pins and needles growing up and their fabric swatches all over the place and so I just wanted in on that. So I learned how to sell early and you know, I learned a sewing machine wasn’t something strange to me and I always kind of had one. It’s not that I was making myself...

Learn how young Michael Tierney, the founder of Mikey’s Muffins, launched his company and, within three short years, is selling through major grocery retailers. Hear how he gets motivated, mostly, by failure. Listen as he describes what he’s most proud of along his entrepreneur journey, and what frustrates him the most as a business owner. Learn his advice on raising capital and the importance of surrounding yourself with good people in order to grow. Leave a Rating & Review in iTunes for the Product Launch Rebel Podcast (http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1136273740)

Hear this exciting interview with Justin Gold, the founder of Justin’s Nut Butter.  Listen as he describes overcoming a deluge of obstacles in starting and growing his company.  Learn where he discovered his entrepreneurial drive, how he raised money and why he still doesn’t know what he’s good at — despite his tremendous startup success. Leave a Rating & Review in iTunes for the Product Launch Rebel Podcast (http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1136273740)

Hear how Rita Katona followed her passion to launch a healthy food and beverage company called So Good Brands, Inc. Listen as she shares her inspiration to start the company, and her biggest joy as an entrepreneur.  Learn Rita’s biggest challenge of managing multiple business models as well as “getting it all done” on a daily basis. Hear her advice on pitching your product to retailers and surrounding yourself with personal and professional supporters. Leave a Rating & Review in iTunes for the Product Launch Rebel Podcast (http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1136273740)

Hear the amazing startup story of the wildly successful Roark Revival apparel brand, founded by Ryan Hitzel. Learn how he channeled his experience as an adventure traveler and surfer, as a creative director in advertising, and as an employee at Volcom clothing, to become an apparel entrepreneur.  Listen as he describes his top frustrations as a business owner, and how he overcomes  his occasional feelings of self doubt. Hear him describe how key people have influenced him, and how entrepreneurship has changed him. Leave a Rating & Review in iTunes for the Product Launch Rebel Podcast (http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1136273740)

Hear how Barry Kudrowitz, a leading authority on design, innovation and new product development, helps people to think more creatively and unleash their imagination to create new products. Leave a Rating & Review in iTunes for the Product Launch Rebel Podcast (http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1136273740)

Hear the exciting story of how three childhood buddies launched their own bicycle brand, in college. Learn how they first bootstrapped the business with their own startup capital. Listen to Michael Fishman, Pure Cycles co-founder (and our interview guest), describe how he would approach his startup differently if he could do it over again. Hear his core motivations to become an entrepreneur, and how he found his entrepreneurial moxie. Leave a Rating & Review in iTunes for the Product Launch Rebel Podcast (http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1136273740)

Hear how this young Canadian serial entrepreneur moved to Detroit, USA, to start the largest US-based bicycle manufacturer, Detroit Bikes.  Learn what drove him to start a bike company (it wasn’t primarily about bikes) and the personal and professional obstacles that he faced in his quest.  Listen as he describes how starting Detroit Bikes helped build his confidence and taught him key lessons about entrepreneurship. Leave a Rating & Review in iTunes for the Product Launch Rebel Podcast (http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1136273740)

Hear how a series of mid-life challenges, and a passion for pickles, drove Rick Field to launch Rick’s Picks, a fancy product line of pickles. Learn how he tweaked his family recipes based on customer feedback from NYC farmers’ markets.  Listen as he describes his biggest joys, and most challenging frustrations, as a food entrepreneur. Hear how he deals with entrepreneurial self doubt and separates work-life from personal-life. Leave a Rating & Review in iTunes for the Product Launch Rebel Podcast (http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1136273740)

Hear the amazing story of how this young entrepreneur, Scott Norton, and his business partner, sought to disrupt the sleepy food condiment industry. Learn what inspired Scott to see a career in “business” in a whole new light.  Learn how he tested early condiment recipes in a college apartment, raised startup capital and chose influential retailers to drive revenues. Listen as he describes what he’s learned most about himself since becoming an entrepreneur, who has been most influential to him, and what he’s most proud of since starting the business. Leave a Rating & Review in iTunes for the Product Launch Rebel Podcast (http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1136273740)

Hear how this accomplished surfer started one of today’s hottest surf wear brands — Seea.  Listen as she describes how entrepreneurship has changed her, where she draws her inspiration and where she finds joy as a business owner.  Learn who has influenced her most, and why she thinks launching Seea was her destiny. Leave a Rating & Review in iTunes for the Product Launch Rebel Podcast (http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1136273740)

Hear the wild story about how Jason Levinthal started and grew Line Skis (the first modern twin-tip ski company) and ignited a youth ski movement and helped save skiing. After a few years of struggle and lackluster sales, learn how another competing brand and the X Games helped boost his fledgling company to the stratosphere. Listen as he describes how he launched his second company, J-Skis, with a smarter business model. Leave a Rating & Review in iTunes for the Product Launch Rebel Podcast (http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1136273740)

Hear how entrepreneur, Tee Major, expanded his fitness training business by launching a new line of unconventional fitness products, including — of all things — steel maces.  Learn how he went from strained “solopreneur” to relief by choosing to work with co-founders who offered skills that Tee didn’t have.  Listen as he describes how entrepreneurship has enhanced his communication skills — and relationships — in all aspects of his life. Leave a Rating & Review in iTunes for the Product Launch Rebel Podcast (http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1136273740)

Hear how this perpetual entrepreneur, Caro Krissman, launched the consumer electronics brand, Outdoor Tech, to better serve outdoor enthusiasts.  Learn how his network of peers motivated him to achieve. Listen as he describes how entrepreneurship has changed him — as well as his biggest joys and frustrations along his entrepreneurial path. Leave a Rating & Review in iTunes for the Product Launch Rebel Podcast (http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1136273740)

Hear how this successful Microsoft executive escaped the corporate world to start his own wearable tech company. Learn how he spotted the business opportunity, identified a key strategic investor and found a manufacturing partner — after an exhaustive search of over 70 contenders! Hear his personal thoughts about how entrepreneurship has changed him, how he deals with self doubt and what he’s learned most about himself from the entrepreneurial experience. Leave a Rating & Review in iTunes for the Product Launch Rebel Podcast (http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1136273740)

Hear how a life-threatening scare led to the life-changing creation of Shauna Martin’s hot new juice company, Daily Greens. Learn how Shauna evolved from producing green juice in her kitchen, to now producing juice, on a mass scale, in a 20,000 square-foot specialized facility. Listen as she describes her biggest joys — and biggest frustrations — since starting her own business. Leave a Rating & Review in iTunes for the Product Launch Rebel Podcast (http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1136273740)

Hear how entrepreneur, Zachary Quinn, co-created a business idea in college, dropped out, and led the astonishing growth of Love Your Melon headwear.  Learn how he and his business partner chose to regularly give 50 percent of their profits to support children with cancer, and provide opportunities for thousands of young adults to make a true difference in their communities. Leave a Rating & Review in iTunes for the Product Launch Rebel Podcast (http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1136273740)

Hear how Andrew Kincheloe started and grew his Buddy’s Nut Butter brand out of college, with absolutely no business experience. Learn how he humbled himself by making mistakes and facing challenges in production, marketing and small or zero budgets.  Listen as he describes one of his keys to success — passion — and how entrepreneurship has changed him. Leave a Rating & Review in iTunes for the Product Launch Rebel Podcast (http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1136273740)

Hear how this young entrepreneur, Erik Brust, started a company in honor of his cousin, who — with Erik — conceptualized the Jonny Pops frozen treat idea. Learn the exciting story of how Erik started in his college dorm room, and grew the company into a multi-channel, nationally distributed brand. Leave a Rating & Review in iTunes for the Product Launch Rebel Podcast (http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1136273740)

Listen to Mary Kosir, the Co-Founder of WholeMe foods, talk about her journey to become an “accidental entrepreneur.” Learn the details of  why she delayed starting WholeMe for 5 years, only until she found the right business partner.  Hear her wise advice on the topics of raising money, finding a manufacturer, overcoming self doubt and facing difficult decisions. Leave a Rating & Review in iTunes for the Product Launch Rebel Podcast (http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1136273740)

Hear the astonishing success story of Taylor Collins, the Co-Founder and Chief of Epic Provisions. Learn how he and his wife channeled their athletic spirit into rapidly growing this 100% mission-driven, grass-fed and meat-based natural food company. Leave a Rating & Review in iTunes for the Product Launch Rebel Podcast (http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1136273740) BONUS: Click HERE (https://www.repsly.com/blog/consumer-goods/whole-foods-vendor-application)  to learn how to become a supplier to Whole Foods Market. It’s an article written by my friends at Repsly!

Hear how this young entrepreneur became a driving force in skiing’s revolution. Learn how the founder of 4FRNT Skis, Matthew Sterbenz, went from pro athlete — with zero industry knowledge — to manufacturing his own skis, raising capital, and recruiting a brotherhood of influential athletes to infuse new energy, and a pioneering spirit, in a tired industry. Leave a Rating & Review in iTunes for the Product Launch Rebel Podcast (http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1136273740)

Hear the extraordinary success story of Mike Lindell, the Founder of MyPillow, Inc. Learn how he overcame a deluge of rejection, legal mistakes and drug addition to rapidly grow into a $500 million dollar company. Discover how he ignored “expert” advice to manufacture his product overseas and, instead, created a U.S.-based factory that now employs nearly 1600 employees in his state of Minnesota. Leave a Rating & Review in iTunes for the Product Launch Rebel Podcast (http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1136273740) Episode Outline: 0:46 – Introduction to Mike Lindell, the Founder and CEO of MyPillow, Inc. 3:18 – Beginning of the “Give Me The Basics” Podcast Segment 3:30 – Mike talks about why he saw a new pillow concept as a business opportunity. 4:26 – Mike talks about being in business for 13 years and whether he thinks the time went by fast. “My expansion seems so surreal.” 5:08 – Mike explains what makes his MyPillow concept so unique. 5:57 – Mike shares his current revenue figures of $400 million to $500 million. And the number of units sold: 26 million. 6:10 – Mike tells us about his current number of employees: between 1500 and 1600 employees. “That just keeps going up.” 6:28 – Mike talks about the types of products offered from MyPillow. 7:07 – Mike talks about the uniqueness of the MyPillow concept and how his initial assumptions about the business changed in the early days. He explains how he had to offer strong guarantees and then “guarantee with everything I had.” 8:16 – Beginning of the “Tell Me How” Podcast Segment 8:30 – Mike talks about whether or not he had to raise capital for the business. He talks about how he was never able to use a bank. He talks about the times he tried to raise capital. And he cautions aspiring entrepreneurs to be very careful because some money financers can threaten to take the business away. 10:03 – Mike explains his rationale for manufacturing in the United States (Minnesota) instead of seeking an overseas manufacturing partner. “I micro-manage that way, I’m built that way . . . I think a lot of entrepreneurs are.” 11:51 – Mike talks about the number of prototype iterations (94) he did to arrive at the concept that he felt confident about. “The excitement was beyond belief.” 12:43 – Mike talks about the pillow fill options he tested as he developed the concept, and working with engineers, and tearing “hundreds of pieces by hand” to make it work. “I had a lot of divine interventions.” 14:23 – Mike advises inventors to put themselves in the shoes of the consumer when they develop a new product. By listening to consumers, it helps inventors add the right features to the product. After that, “the money takes care of itself.” 16:42 – Mike talks about who did the original pillow sewing, and where they produced the pillows. He further explains the constant rejection they received from major retailers when he presented the product to them. 17:39 – Mike recalls some of the early issues they had when they first manufactured the product. “Yeah, I made them the wrong size.” “I made my first 300 pillows – when I was out of money – I made them too wide and too long.” “That was scary.” So he sold them as a “very special limited edition.” 19:01 – Mike talks about how, early on, he approached retailers to sell the product and the constant rejection he received. “I knew I had a great product.” They advised him to try selling the product in a kiosk in a mall. The kiosk didn’t work well, and he spent a lot of money doing it. But a key customer introduces Mike to a big idea: home and garden shows and fairs. 22:30 – Mike explains how they did the home and garden shows “for years” and how customer enthusiasm kept him going during those struggling periods. From there he had the idea of doing an infomercial. And his first infomercial was his first big positive turning point. From there MyPillow “went from five

Curious about launching a natural food or beverage product? Want to get your product into Whole Foods Market and other natural product retailers? This is an interview you don’t want to miss! Listen to our interview with Bob Burke and get insider tips on finding a manufacturing partner, getting your pricing right so you’re profitable, and working with retailers, distributors and brokers. Leave a Rating & Review in iTunes for the Product Launch Rebel Podcast (http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1136273740) BONUS: Click HERE (https://www.repsly.com/blog/consumer-goods/whole-foods-vendor-application)  to learn how to become a supplier to Whole Foods Market. It’s an article written by my friends at Repsly! Episode Outline: 0:45 – Introduction to Bob Burke, Founder of Natural Products Consulting. 2:00 – A list of companies and brands that Bob Burke has helped launch and grow in the natural products channel 2:45 – Bob shares his areas of expertise when helping people launch and grow in the natural products channel 4:05 – Bob describes the types of projects he works on when he works with clients; he gets involved in all aspects of the business, but most of his projects are writing customized business and marketing plans; “they’re a lot of work.” 6:55 – Bob talks about the types of projects that he’s best suited for, and the specific tasks related to those projects. Additionally, he talks about some of the more successful case histories, or projects/brands, that he’s worked on. 9:52 – Bob talks about the benefits of working with entrepreneurs that don’t have natural products industry experience: “The ones that don’t have the industry experience aren’t weighed down . . . they’re unencumbered.” 11:42 – Bob shares information about his seminars, including his Two-Day Sales Seminar, where he brings in 10 experts in their field (i.e. e-commerce, former Whole Foods Market buyers, distributor and retailer customers, etc.) to educate about selling to this channel. He also offers a full-day Financing Seminar, where they talk about deal structure, terms sheets, etc. 14:56 – What has been the highlight of Bob’s consulting career? Bob talks about his biggest ongoing pleasure of having opportunities to stretch myself in new areas as he gets exposed to new people, categories and projects. 17:09 – Bob shares his biggest frustration since being in this natural products business. 19:04 – Bob helps listeners understand the natural products channel; the roles and players involved. These include large and small retailers (i.e. Whole Foods Market, Sprouts, etc.), distributors (i.e. UNFI, Kehe, etc.) and brokers. 22:00 – Bob talks about the success and failure rates of new products in the natural products channel. 24:12 – Bob explains how he handles situations when people present new products to him that he believes don’t have potential. 26:20 – Bob talks about the top frustrations that new entrepreneurs face in the natural products channel. These include getting your first product into a large retailer (i.e. Whole Foods Market). Another source of frustration includes trying to figure out brokers and distributors. Additionally: trade-spending deductions when working with distributors. 28:41 – Bob shares his thoughts on how often new entrepreneurs need to realign their initial launch assumptions, and thus pivot their product or brand, in order to survive. He gives key examples of companies that have switched directions in order to grow. 34:02 – Bob shares his thoughts on the growth trends in natural products channel (i.e. low-sugar, no sugar, cold-brewed coffees, grain-free products, gut health, etc.). 35:58 – Bob talks about some of the entrepreneurs that have impressed him most over the years. And he talks about some of the characteristics that these entrepreneurs had, that led to Bob’s favorable impression of them. 38:31 – Bob shares his experiences

Hear how this visionary couple grew an innovative garbage collection business into a windfall of profits.  Listen as they describe careful planning and team-building as keys to their success.  Score insider tips about raising capital, finding the right manufacturing partner, selling to retailers and accessing startup resources. Leave a Rating & Review in iTunes for the Product Launch Rebel Podcast (http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1136273740) Episode Outline: 0:45 – Introduction to Sara and David Russick, Co-Founders of Bagster, LLC, and Tubbs, Inc. Waste Systems. And Gopher Angels Network. 3:37 – Beginning of the “Give Me the Basics” Podcast Segment 3:40 – Sara and David talk about how they saw Bagster as a business opportunity. They heard about a similar business idea in Europe. They operated a related business in the Midwest, so they were somewhat well-suited for the idea. 5:52 – Sara explains the complex two-part business model required for Bagster. It required both retail distribution and operational support (truck collection) competencies. 6:55 – Sara and David talk about their confidence level going into starting the Bagster business. Sara talks about the careful planning that went into preparing for the launch, and the stellar team that supported and collaborated on the idea. 9:50 – Sara and David describe Bagster as a better business model than that of Tubbs; and how Bagster was executed “nearly flawlessly” but “not easily.” 11:17 – David talks about the relationship between their two companies, Bagster and Tubbs. 12:05 – David talks about some of the tactical pivots that were required for Bagster to optimize benefits to customers. 13:19 – David and Sara talk about the uniqueness of operating a two-part business model, selling to retailers while offering supporting waste-collection vehicles for customers. 15:00 – David talks about how learning from their Tubbs business (i.e. knowledge of targeting customers) helped them succeed with Bagster. 16:15 – Beginning of the “Tell Me How” Podcast Segment 16:33 – David and Sara talk about how they financed their business, by doing a combination of self-financing, vendor-financing, loan financing and investor financing. 17:50 – David and Sara talk about entering the New England market. 18:24 – Sara and David talk about the challenges of raising “Series A” capital to help them expand into other markets, while running an existing business. 20:30 – David shares what he’s learned most about raising capital: (a) make sure your investors are aligned with your goals and (b) it helps if investors bring additional skills to your business, in addition to money. 20:55 – David talks about his experience in finding a partner to help manufacture the Bagster bags. He talks about the process of finding a manufacturer in China. 25:23 – Sara and David talk about their experience in selling their product to retailers; and how hardware stores are mainly operated by families (not corporate bureaucracies), so it’s easier to get access to them and develop rapport with them, if you have a product that they like. 27:37 – Sara and David describe how scaled their growth by using a franchise-like model. 30:08 – David talks about how they supported retailer salespeople to help raise product awareness and drive store growth. 33:24 – Sara talks about key aspects of their marketing plan to help generate consumer awareness and demand. 36:54 – Beginning of the “Let’s Get Personal” Podcast Segment 37:17 – David talks about his core motivation to become an entrepreneur. He describes his entrepreneurial drive as “genetic,” since his family owned a department store in South Dakota. He talks about how he “loves to create and build.” 38:49 – Sara talks about how she became an “accidental entrepreneur” while she was on track to become a lawyer. She describes how she “got sucked in” to the business. 39:52 – Sara...

Hear how this savvy, young co-founder and entrepreneur launched a vodka company, based on locally farm-raised beets. Hear how they found a distilling partner, convinced a great design firm, sourced raw materials, and worked with distributors to launch and grow their brand. Leave a Rating & Review in iTunes for the Product Launch Rebel Podcast (http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1136273740)

Do you long for a simpler life that is more meaningful? Then be inspired by Cheri Reese, who left the hectic city life with her husband to start a unique farm-based “field-to-glass” distillery.  Hear how they came up with their business idea, raised capital and set up a manufacturing facility.  Listen as Cheri describes her biggest joys, her top frustrations and her number one piece of advice for new entrepreneurs. Leave a Rating & Review in iTunes for the Product Launch Rebel Podcast (http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1136273740)

Do you seek new growth opportunities?  Are you frustrated with seeing only incremental change, at best, in your personal or professional life? In this episode, John Benzick introduces the topic of “leverage points,” and how they can help revolutionize your productivity, satisfaction and achievement.  He offers a simple 5-minute assignment to help you envision radical growth possibilities for you in the New Year. Leave a Rating & Review in iTunes for the Product Launch Rebel Podcast (http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1136273740) Episode Transcript: Greetings Product Launch Rebels, Happy New Year, and welcome to the Product Launch Rebel podcast. I am your host, John Benzick, the founder of VS, the website that helps you double your entrepreneurial courage, even if you don’t know what you’re doing. Today is a short but hopefully impactful podcast episode. I have a simple message that may transform your entrepreneurial — and maybe even personal — results this year. And that message is about identifying and then leveraging your number one strength to an audience that will reward you for it. It’s the beginning of the new year, and I don’t know about you, but I often get quiet around this time of year, because I think of my past year and how I can improve in the new year. I just think that life is amazing, and I don’t want to waste another year by not being self-aware or not pursuing things that are meaningful and purposeful, or to miss out on life’s opportunities. In fact, I don’t want to waste one minute of my life, and I’m sure you don’t either. So at the beginning of each new year, I think about the things that are bothering me in both my professional and personal aspects, and I develop plans on how to overcome those struggles. And the funny thing is, those struggles seem to re-occur over and over from year to year. They happen so many times, in fact, that I’ve often thought about giving up on my quest to overcome these weaknesses or burdens. But about 5 years ago, on that topic, I asked some friends if they ever abandon their goals for the year, and nearly all of them said that they do abandon them and no longer set goals for the year. And that really struck me. I felt sad that my friends gave up on their goals. So now, ever since then, I think to myself, you know, I’m not going to give up on my struggles, the things that are holding me back, I’m going to continue working on these things that are bothering me, through heck or high water. Even if I continue to fall short of my expectations on them. And actually, what has quietly inspired me to do this, really, is my Christian belief system. And I believe that God wants me to keep working on the things that I struggle with, even though I might fall short in doing so. And I don’t think that he wants me to give up (because he doesn’t give up on me), so I’ve chosen to not give up, despite my seemingly chronic weaknesses or issues that consistently hold me back. In fact, I love stories of not just incremental improvements that people make in their own lives, but the transformational stories of people’s lives. I just think that that takes so much courage and commitment to experience something like that, something that I probably will never experience, but secretly and quietly hope to. And I think each of us, whether we’re conscious of it or not, strives for some sort of personal transformation. There’s a great book that I read a couple years ago called Business Secrets of the Trappist Monks by August Turak, and it suggested that idea, that every person aims for some sort of transformation, to be connected to a mission that’s bigger than themselves. And I sort of bought into that idea. It really impacted me. So if you’re a growth-oriented person, do you seek incremental growth opportunities? Or do you seek transformative growth opportunities? Today, in this episode, I briefly...

Hear the story of how Michael Miller started a yard product business. Learn about his journey of bootstrapping the business; working with retailers, distributors and sales representatives; and working with manufacturing partners. Listen as he describes his top joys and frustrations of being an entrepreneur, and how it has changed him. Leave a Rating & Review in iTunes for the Product Launch Rebel Podcast (http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1136273740)

Hear about how this entrepreneur started a healthy food product company. Learn his stories about bootstrapping the business; working with retailers, distributors and brokers; and finding a manufacturing partner. Listen as he describes his top joys and frustrations of being an entrepreneur, and how it has changed him. Leave a Rating & Review in iTunes for the Product Launch Rebel Podcast (http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1136273740) Episode Outline: 0:45 – Introduction to Donn Kelly, Co-Founder of Doctor in the Kitchen and the producer of Flackers flax-seed crackers. 2:38 – Start of the “Give Me The Basics” Podcast Segment 2:51 – Donn describes his company as a “natural and healthy food product company,” producer of Flackers crackers: raw and gluten free.  The “healthiest cracker on the market.” 4:14 – Donn talks about how his initial assumptions about the business changed as he evolved the business.  He originally assumed his product would be a very niche item.  He pleasantly learned that the product was not a niche item, and that many more grocery retailers wanted his product. 5:20 – Donn shares the number of employees in his company and their roles.  He explains the other key non-employee partners that help to produce, sell and market the product. 6:55 – Start of the “Tell Me How” Podcast Segment 7:14 – Donn talks about how his co-founder and he originally bootstrapped the business, and how they are now seeking additional investors to help take Flackers to the next level of growth.  He talks about how raising money is nearly a “full time job.” 8:04 – Donn describes his experience in raising capital, and what investors are looking for when considering investing in Flackers. 10:00 – Donn talks about how much money they are raising to grow the business, as well as where he will apply the investment dollars. 11:01 – Donn explains his occasional hesitation in raising capital, as well as his strategy to finding investors. 13:43 – Donn talks about how he found a co-manufacturing partner to produce the Flackers cracker. He describes how he and his staff originally manufactured the product themselves. 19:21 – Donn explains the types of problems that can occur when working with a manufacturing partner, and ways to avoid those problems. 21:50 – Donn shares his top piece of advice on working with a manufacturing partner. 21:52 – Donn talks about the process of selling to retailers.  He explains how he originally created a mock-up package and created interest among local co-op grocery buyers.  And how he made sure he built-in enough profit margins so that Flackers, the retailer and the distributor would all make enough profit on the product when the product was sold to consumers. 26:55 – Donn talks about working with distributors and then (29:07) with brokers. 30:35 – Donn gets into the details of how to work with brokers. 32:30 – Donn explains the company’s approach to increase sales with small marketing budgets.  He talks about prioritizing dollars to support the retailer and distributor programs, as well as product sampling at the store level. 36:14 – Start of the “Let’s Get Personal” Podcast Segment 36:30 – Donn talks about his motivations to become an entrepreneur, including preferring to not work in corporate environments and being inspired by other entrepreneurs. 38:15 – Donn describes his top joys of starting a business. 39:11 – Donn talks about his primary frustrations since becoming a business owner. 40:12 – Donn describes some of the self doubt that accompanies many entrepreneurs amidst startup uncertainty. 41:19 – Donn talks about how becoming an entrepreneur has changed him as a person. 42:15 – Donn shares what he’s learned most about himself since becoming a business owner. 42:53 – Donn expresses who has been most influential to him in his life. 44:01 – Donn offers closing advice to aspiring entrepreneurs:...

Hear Tim Porth, Co-Founder of Octane Fitness, describe his successes, joys and frustrations in building one of the most respected fitness equipment companies in the world. Learn how, in 2001, he left his previous job and overcame startup issues from investors and manufacturing partners to get a foothold in the ever-changing category of fitness equipment. Leave a Rating & Review in iTunes for the Product Launch Rebel Podcast (http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1136273740) Episode Outline: 0:45 – Introduction to Tim Porth, Co-Founder of Octane Fitness, the fitness elliptical manufacturing company. 2:41 – Start of the “Give Me the Basics” Podcast Segment 3:17 – Tim describes the original business opportunity and why he and his partner, Dennis Lee, started Octane Fitness.  He talks about his and Dennis’ previous experience in the industry as a key benefit to their original success. 4:30 – Tim talks about the types of customers that Octane Fitness sells to, and its distribution strategy, which includes selling to specialty fitness stores, health clubs and major league sports teams.  He also mentions that he met Bruce Springsteen, since Bruce purchased an Octane Fitness product to use backstage on a recent tour. 6:10 – Tim describes the types of products that are sold by Octane Fitness. 7:40 – Tim shares the number of people currently employed by the company, as well as the original team in the very beginning. 8:53 – Tim shares Octane Fitness’ revenue totals for this past year. 9:10 – Tim describes what it felt like when the company was recently sold to Nautilus. 10:05 – Tim talks about how they came up with the Octane Fitness name. 11:25 – Tim further describes the opportunity they saw before they started the business, and explains how fortunate they were since the competition left a gap in the market for the product they designed and offered. 12:50 – Tim describes his current role at Octane Fitness.  “I feel like a kid in a candy shop.” 13:20 – Beginning of the “Tell Me How” Podcast Segment 13:39 – Tim talks about how they raised money for the business in the early days. He describes the risk that he and Dennis Lee took when they left their jobs, talked to investors, and faced economic uncertainty. 15:35 – Tim talks about how he and Dennis Lee worked together at a previous company before starting Octane Fitness. 16:10 – Tim describes the challenges of raising capital for the business. 17:30 – Tim talks about his confidence level going into launching the business in 2001. 18:59 – Tim offers advice on how to raise capital: “Stay at it.” “Get introduced to more people.” “Ask for introductions.” 19:55 – Tim describes how they found a manufacturing partner to produce the elliptical machines. 21:11 – Tim talks about the manufacturing issues that occurred in the early stages of the company and how their costs were 25 percent more than expected. 23:25 – Tim explains the severity of the original manufacturing problem and how it threatened their company. 24:37 – Tim offers key advice on how to best find a manufacturing partner. 25:25 – Tim talks about how they originally approached retailers about their business idea and product line. 26:45 – Tim explains how they sought retailer and customer feedback about the product before they started manufacturing the product. 27:48 – Tim describes working with sales representatives and distributors. 29:48 – Tim talks about the role of trade shows, events, and expos in their marketing and sales plan. 31:30 – Tim talks about their approach to pricing the product. He describes a “bottom up and top down” method. 32:30 – Tim offers some key advice on how to set the right price for your manufactured product. 33:44 – Tim describes how they originally marketed their product with small marketing budgets. 37:40 – Beginning of the “Let’s Get Personal” Segment 38:01 – Tim describes...

Hear how 10-time X-Games medalist, Levi LaVallee, went from small-town snowmobiler to elite athlete, world-record holder and entrepreneur by conquering fear and competing against only himself. Learn how he became the first person to attempt a double-back flip on a snowmobile. And listen as he describes overcoming a life-threatening crash to becoming the world-record holder for snowmobile distance jumping. Leave a Rating & Review in iTunes for the Product Launch Rebel Podcast (http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1136273740) Episode Outline: 1:10 – Introduction to Levi LaVallee, entrepreneur, elite athlete, world-record holder, 10-time X-Games medalist and snowmobile racer 3:01 – Levi talks about his enjoyment, growing up and living in the small town of Longville, Minnesota, and how he has built his business operation and “compound” in that area. 6:58 – Levi expresses how growing up in Longville, Minnesota, has helped make him who he was today. He describes how living there has kept him focused, honest, and void of distraction. 11:44 – Levi talks about the benefit of not letting yourself get “too soft.” And to not wait for the best conditions to work on your business or activity – and by focusing on what got you to where you are, and constantly growing. 15:56 – Levi talks about his recent self-help guru “audio book binge” and his quest for constant improvement. 19:30 – Levi shares how he first started four-wheeling and snowmobiling as a youngster and how his dad built his first jump out of a car hood. And how Levi became a professional snowmobiler at age 20. 22:00 – Levi talks about why and how he’s evolved into taking more risks as a professional athlete. He describes his father’s influence on him, and his small physical size – and not becoming “the weak link,” as a motivator. 25:30 – Levi thinks about what he would be doing for a living if he did not grow up in a snow-oriented environment, and if he never grew up around snowmobiles. 27:28 – Levi talks about who has most influenced him while growing up. He mentions Michael Jordan, the basketball pro, as a key early motivator. Other influencers included motocross racers Ricky Carmichael, Jeremy McGrath and his friend, Travis Pastrana. 32:15 – Levi talks about what he thinks is the main driving force that motivates most leading action-sports athletes. In part, Levi talks about the importance of making sacrifices to accomplish goals, following one’s passions and defying people’s expectations. 35:19 – Levi describes what he thinks is his #1 strength. “Overcoming fear.” He explains the pressures that many leading athletes face, and how that pressure can increase their fear of failure and reduce their success. 39:01 – Levi talks about the scariest experience of his career, and how he prepared for that activity. He mentions the double-back flip in the X Games “where he laid it all on the line.” He then explains the equally scary episode of preparing for the world record distance jump. 43:50 – Levi describes how he prepared his snowmobile equipment for the world-record distance jump. Wind-tunnel testing was needed. 46:02 – Levi talks about the mounting pressures that accompany a major broadcast event (i.e. the world-record distance jump and the double-back flip attempt) and why preparation is the key to following through with the goal. 49:06 – Levi offers his advice on how budding entrepreneurs can learn to deal with and overcome mistakes. “Learn from them.” “Be aware of the problem.” “Then come up with a plan, and execute.” “Have a good solid plan.” “Always think of that end goal.” 51:46 – Levi talks about his top weakness – wanting things done a certain way, and procrastination – and how he deals with and overcomes it. 55:25 – Levi explains his Team LaVallee organization and his role in it, his new coaching focus and how his career has evolved. 1:01:00 – Levi talks about the multiple activities that...

Listen how Brent Gale, Co-Founder of Twin Six, became fed up with the uninspired choices for bike gear to spark a revolution in bicycle apparel.  Learn how they successfully bootstrapped their business, without outside investors, to expand into multiple product lines (including bicycles) and selling to international markets.  Hear how they’ve overcome multiple startup challenges by forging ahead, one-step-at-a-time, despite no industry experience. Leave a Rating & Review in iTunes for the Product Launch Rebel Podcast (http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1136273740)

Hear how Josh Porter and his MakersKit co-founders went from zero sales to over 300,000 units sold in less than three years. Listen as he describes their unique evolution to becoming a product-based company selling to over 4000 retailer doors and in every state in the U.S. Leave a Rating & Review in iTunes for the Product Launch Rebel Podcast (http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1136273740) Episode Outline: 0:45 – Introduction to Josh Porter, Co-Founder and CEO of MakersKit. MakersKit is a producer of do-it-yourself project kits sold in specialty retailer stores in the U.S., Canada and Europe. 2:53 – Start of the “Give Me the Basics” Podcast Segment 3:02 – Josh describes MakersKit and what makes it unique. He talks about the scope of products offered and the retailers that sell MakersKit. 5:45 – Josh talks about what drives the need for do-it-yourself products. 7:09 – Josh describes his team, Mike Stone, Chief Creative Officer, and Alex Froelich, Chief Product Officer. 9:40 – Josh talks about the number of retail doors they are selling to now (4,000 to 6,000). Retailers include Macy’s, TJ Maxx, Urban Outfitters, Tilly’s, West Elm, Williams Sonoma and others. They are sold in every state in the U.S. 10:24 – Josh answers a question about whether his business assumptions have changed since they started the business. He describes how it took them over two years to figure out their business model, and how they’ve become more data driven. He talks about getting to know their customers and to learn what they’re looking for. He talks about how they’ve used social media to identify product opportunities. 12:00 – Josh talks about how MakersKit started in San Francisco. They started doing fun do-it-yourself workshops on the weekends, which became popular. Then Google invited them to the Google Plex to do some projects. Google helped them create their first videos. MakersKit was published in a San Francisco Chronicle newspaper article, thereby being discovered by Macy’s (the retailer). This led to them being accepted into MakersKit’s first Techstars experience in New York. 15:56 – Start of the “Tell Me How” Podcast Segment 16:10 – Josh describes how they raised money for the business. Starting out, they bootstrapped the company with some financing from family members. Techstars New York helped them find additional financing sources. MakersKit made a list of over 200 investors and talked to those that were the right fit for their business. Josh describes the importance of building relationships with financing sources. 21:05 – Josh talks about how they manufactured their product. They started in a studio in Los Angeles, then moved to a warehouse downtown Los Angeles. Then they moved to a third-party logistics company. They sought a manufacturing firm in the middle of the United States to keep shipping costs down. They had to find a partner that was excited about the product. 23:20 – Josh describes manufacturer partner challenges. He mentions that their biggest challenge is that MakersKit is based on the west coast, but the manufacturer is in the middle of the U.S. He describes that it can be frustrating because there’s a distance. But the benefits outweigh the costs. 24:40 – Josh talks about how they approached retailers to sell the product for the first time. They got their first big order from Macy’s based on a news story that Macy’s heard about. Josh talks about the importance of finding a way to “stand out” so that the buyer chooses your product to be sold in their store. 26:45 – Josh describes how they set the price of their product. He talks about the challenge of selling the product 50 percent off the retail price so the retailer gets the margin they need. 28:25 – Josh describes how they are able to create awareness and demand for the product on small marketing budgets. They are able to leverage their retailers and an influencer audience. They leverage their own...

Are you thinking about launching a consumer product business?  Then get the inside scoop on how to boost your chances for success.  Listen to John’s 8 insider tips on how to launch a product, even if you’re feeling frustrated, confused and uncertain. Leave a Rating & Review in iTunes for the Product Launch Rebel Podcast (http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1136273740) Get the Free eGuide (8 “Must Do” Tips for Launching a Physical Product) that was mentioned in this episode (https://venture-superfly.leadpages.co/8-tips-to-launch-physical-product/) Get the Free Business Plan Template that was mentioned in this episode (https://venture-superfly.leadpages.co/business-plan-offer/) Episode Transcript: Greetings Product Launch Rebels, and welcome to the Product Launch Rebel podcast, I am your host, John Benzick, the founder of VentureSuperfly.com, the website that helps you double your entrepreneurial courage, even if you’re in a sea of self doubt. Today, I am offering my own advice on how to launch a physical consumer product.  In fact, I’ll be revealing my top 8 “must do” tips to help launch your product. Obviously, I interview a lot of entrepreneurs on this podcast, to get answers to questions about how to launch a business.  But I thought I’d boil down the many strategies, down to the essentials, and summarize the major over-arching themes regarding successful product launches. The 8 tips that I’ve distilled down in this episode are based on several things: First, they are based on the things I learned over the years by launching, or helping to launch, several consumer product businesses.  I’ve been involved in launching my own a snowboard and ski outerwear brand, where I manufactured product in China and distributed to ski, snowboard and outdoor retailer shops across the country; and I’ve also been an owner in an energy supplement brand where we manufactured and distributed a small energy inhaler to hotels, spas, drug stores, grocery stores, and sporting goods stores across the U.S. and internationally. Additionally, these 8 tips are the result of my mentoring many entrepreneurs in my roles as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence and CEO-in-Residence at the University of Minnesota, as well as being a mentor with the Techstars Retail Startup Accelerator in Minneapolis. There are many things that an entrepreneur needs to do well, both strategically and tactically, but the 8 tips that I’ll talk about today are – I believe – the essentials to giving yourself the best chance to make it work. So, the Eight Must-Do Tips for Launching a Physical Consumer Product are as follows: 1.  Be passionate about your product, industry and customers. Well, this might seem obvious to many of you, but beware.  Sometimes, if we’re not careful, we can get enticed, temporarily, by the shiny, glittery, trendy-oriented industries or product categories that we see in the magazines, in online articles, or what our peers seem to be excited about. When you peel back a layer, however, and over time, you might discover that the product, or the category, or the customers that are served, ultimately, deplete your energy. I experienced this personally, before I started my first business, which was a snowboard and ski clothing brand.  Just prior to that business, I was planning to launch a gourmet fast-food retail concept called FreshWorks.  I put a lot of time into designing the business plan, looking at retail locations, working with chefs to develop the menu, among other things.  But, slowly, over time, I discerned that even though I thought the concept was cool, I had to be honest with myself – the restaurant business was just not for me.  I learned that I just wasn’t passionate enough about any of the key aspects of the business; for example, the food, the customers, and just the nature of managing perishable products. And if you need anything to start and succeed at a...

In your career, do you feel like you’re using your talents and being rewarded for them?  Are you operating in the best environment, with the right people, that will maximize your career satisfaction, growth and income? Listen to John explain how you can find your career “sweet spot” to compete on your terms and on your strengths. Leave a Rating & Review in iTunes for the Product Launch Rebel Podcast (http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1136273740) Episode Transcript: Greetings Product Launch Rebels: This is John Benzick from Venture Superfly.com, the website that helps you double your entrepreneurial courage, even if you don’t know what you’re doing! Today in this episode I’m going to talk about how you can find the right fit for your entrepreneurial pursuits or career, to find your entrepreneurial or career focus area, or sweet spot. To make sure you’re playing in the right sand-box, so to speak. And compete better on your own terms, and on your strengths. And I’ll start with some questions – a bit of an assessment. Regarding your career, or job, do you feel fully appreciated by others, and rewarded for your talents? Do you even know your top talents? Do you feel like you’re unleashing your talents in a way that is elevating you to a higher level, and will continue to raise you up for the long term, and keep you secure over time? Are you working with the right people, using your best skills, and operating in the best environment that will maximize your career satisfaction, growth and income? If not, in this episode, I’ll introduce to you a very effective – but simple – exercise to help find your direction. To help put you on the right path. And that exercise can be best explained by a personal story. The idea of this exercise that I’ll introduce to you, came to me almost magically, about 11 years ago, at about 3:00 in the morning. I had a terrible time sleeping that night because I was doing some consulting work during that period, and I noticed that I struggled with inconsistency regarding the value I was bringing to clients. With some clients, I did feel like I was adding a lot of value, feeling confident about myself and being well-paid. In fact, in those situations, it felt as if I wasn’t even working hard, my success simply seemed natural and productive and rewarded. It just seemed like I was in a great spot and developing great relationships as well. On other projects, however, I felt less secure. There didn’t seem to be harmony with my role, my expertise, and the people that I was working with. It seemed that no matter what I did, there was something out of sync. I felt like I was constantly treading water, and always on the verge of losing the client – sort of barely holding on. And so that night at 3am, feeling fidgety and troubled, an idea struck me right between the eyes, magically, like a lightning bolt. It was an idea that I absolutely had to get down on paper, fast, before I lost it – do you know that feeling? It was one of those important “aha” moments that you have to act on. So I leapt from my bed and darted downstairs to my home office desk, and foraged for a blank piece of paper and pen. Eyes half-open, I drew a line down the middle of the paper, from top to bottom. At the top left-hand column, I wrote the heading, “Life-Depleting Experiences.” At the top right-hand column, I wrote the heading, “Life-Giving Experiences.” I then reflected on my life history related to each of these two headings. I recalled experiences in my career, in my friendships, in my family, in sports that I played – even in music, volunteer and other experiences. Not just job experiences. In the life-giving experiences column, in bullet-points, I described situations where I felt purposeful, energetic, capable and valued. I jotted down things like, “developing new products,” and “thinking strategically.” Conversely, in the...

Be inspired by this young female entrepreneur, and her co-founder, and how they’re blazing a revolutionary new trail in wearable technology. Hear her describe the challenges (and opportunities) of raising capital, learning fast, creating a high-performing team and proving skeptics wrong. Leave a Rating & Review in iTunes for the Product Launch Rebel Podcast (http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1136273740) Podcast Timeline: 0:43 – Introduction to Andrea Perdomo, Co-Founder and President of Revolar, the wearable tech safety-device company. 2:52 – Start of the “Give Me the Basics” Segment 3:15 – Andrea talks about what makes the Revolar so unique compared to other personal safety options that are available. (Revolar offers different alerts based on a user’s level of discomfort.) 4:52 – Andrea talks about the original idea behind Revolar, and how her co-founder, Jackie Ros, came up with the idea based on an incident that happened to her sister. 7:31 – Andrea describes how a fateful opportunity led her to meeting her business partner and co-founder, Jackie Ros. Andrea talks about her early career (and pre-Revolar) motivations to make a difference in the world and how she drove from Atlanta to Denver to work as an intern for a non-profit (which is how she originally met her co-founder, Jackie Ros). 8:46 – Andrea describes how, early on, the company aimed to learn from consumers, friends and family to understand user safety needs and to help sharpen their brand message. They learned that the concept of safety is different for different people. 11:22 – Start of the “Tell Me How” Podcast Segment 11:40 – Andrea describes the process and challenge of raising capital, after going through a bootstrapping phase, and living a frugal lifestyle eating ramen and potatoes. One of their key approaches was to talk to investors as advisors. She talks about the challenge of needing to prove consumer demand for the product before anyone invests in the company. Andrea talks about how they originally did pitch competitions to raise money, and how they proceeded to use Kickstarter to prove demand for the product, which eventually led them to raise an additional $3 million from The Foundry Group. She talks about how they learned that raising money is all about relationships – building relationship with investors, like marriage or dating. “You have to get to know them as people.” 16:50 – Andrea talks about some hiccups along the way to raising capital (i.e. learning the financial terms). 18:24 – Andrea describes how she would have done things differently when raising capital. She advises others to start raising money early, and to figure out the brand story needed to tell investors, and the importance of painting that picture of where the company will be in 5 to 10 years. 19:26 – Andrea talks about finding a manufacturer for their highly technical product, and the challenges of doing so with very little experience in working with manufacturers and engineers. “Manufacturing: it’s difficult.” “The big thing was trying to learn how it all works.” Andrea describes the challenges of sourcing all of the different components and finding the best price, making sure the product was environmentally friendly, and finding a source that was as close to home as possible. Andreas goes on to offer key advice: “Don’t be afraid to hire people or get advice from people that know more than you. “It’s okay to not know all the answers.” 24:15 – Andrea talks about the many trade-offs when it comes to hardware manufacturing; and making sure their product is well-designed for the user. “You can’t have it all.” “It’s weighing [what features are] most important and what can wait for later.” She describes the challenges of production lead times for the many components, and with forecasting. 26:50 – Andrea talks about the challenges of selling the product to retailers and about the tension that

Is the fear of rejection holding you back? Hear John Benzick, the host of the Product Launch Rebel podcast, explain his “Top 8 Tips for Conquering Rejection.” Listen to his specific proven methods on how he has reduced his chances of rejection by up to 75%, even while requesting things from investors, potential customers and other important people that don’t know him from Adam. Leave a Rating & Review in iTunes for the Product Launch Rebel Podcast (http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1136273740) The E-Guide Referenced In This Podcast Episode is Available Here (https://venture-superfly.leadpages.co/get-meetings-with-important-people/) Podcast Transcript: Greetings, Venture Superfly leaders, this is John Benzick from Venture Superfly.com, the website that helps you double your entrepreneurial courage, even if you don’t know what you’re doing! Today, on the Product Launch Rebel podcast is just me, myself and I . . . I am my special guest today. I will be talking about a topic that effects all of us, and not just those of you that are aspiring entrepreneurs. It’s a topic that I have presented live at in-person events, but never on my podcast. It’s one of my favorite topics and one that I’ve dealt with personally and extensively, especially since becoming an entrepreneur for the first time way back in 1999. So what is that topic? Well, it’s the topic of rejection (https://venturesuperfly.com/blog/posts/get-rejected-more/) . More specifically, this episode will reveal my “Top 8 Tips on How to Conquer Rejection, even if you’re in a sea of self doubt.” (And please be aware that I have a guide (https://venture-superfly.leadpages.co/get-meetings-with-important-people/) can be accessed through this episode page on the VentureSuperfly.com website.) Get the Free E-Guide Here (https://venture-superfly.leadpages.co/get-meetings-with-important-people/) Of course, we all experience rejection — even on a daily basis — and over time, we tend to find ways to avoid it. But, I think that’s wrong, because of course, what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger. So, why do I want to talk about rejection (https://venturesuperfly.com/blog/posts/get-rejected-more/) ? Well, one of the key reasons is that in my presentations to aspiring entrepreneurs on how to launch a business, I came to realize that even though I could teach people the nuts and bolts of launching a product or planning or starting business, one of the key hidden obstacles within most of the students, was their reluctance, or their fear of approaching people that could help them with their business. Or that fear of rejection or of looking stupid. To get a new business off the ground requires talking to lots of people, and that makes you feel vulnerable, especially when you’re trying to figure things out and exposing your lack of knowledge on something. You know, in the early stages of launching my first company, it was a clothing company, I was rejected from all sides; I was rejected by potential investors; I was rejected by retailers; I was rejected by people that I wanted to hire, and by potential business partners. It was rejection city. During this arduous period, however, rejections became acceptances. I expanded, deepened and sharpened my skills. I learned more about business and myself than any other time in my life. I found that there was no substitute for this kind of training. My MBA and previous employee-based learning was nothing compared to the real-life lessons of launching a business, and putting myself in difficult situations. Most of us have heard the expression: “Anything worth doing, is worth doing well.” My amendment to this has been, “Anything worth doing, is worth the risk of rejection.” So, what are my thoughts on conquering rejection (https://venturesuperfly.com/blog/posts/get-rejected-more/) : Well, I’ve concluded that there are really two...

Hear serial entrepreneur, Mike Arbeiter, explain how he started two apparel brands, and a technology company. Listen to his ideas on how to raise capital, work with overseas apparel manufacturers and create consumer demand on a limited marketing budget. Hear him describe his biggest joys and frustrations as an entrepreneur – as well as how he overcomes occasional periods of self doubt. Leave a Rating & Review in iTunes for the Product Launch Rebel Podcast (http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1136273740) Episode Timeline: 0:42 – Introduction to Mike Arbeiter, President of Fisher and Baker apparel, and Founder of InMotion Apparel and Liquicell Technologies. 2:36 – Beginning of the “Give Me the Basics” Podcast Segment 2:45 – Mike describes Fisher and Baker and what makes it unique. He explains how the company’s founder, Greg Horvitz, set out to build a better line of men’s functional outdoor lifestyle clothing, through classical styling and design. 4:25 – Our guest talks about the number of clothing styles the company started with, and its startup team. 6:14 – Mike talks about starting his previous apparel company, InMotion, and what made it unique. He explains the proprietary technology that became the basis for his second company, Liquicell Technologies. 7:07 – Mike talks about the challenges associated with the bicycle retail channel and how he doesn’t plan to return to that type of business. 7:49 – Mike talks about how his business assumptions changed after he launched his first company, InMotion, and how they decided to pivot the company based on those changes. He proceeds to explain his experience with Fisher and Baker, and how they did extensive research interviewing channel players and consumers to better understand customer needs. 9:40 – Our guest talks about the origins of Fisher and Baker, and how its founder, Greg Horvitz, an industrial designer, was previously in the high-end furniture business, and how he wanted to get into an different business that he could more easily scale. And how he wanted to work with his two passions, outdoor and clothing. 10:36 – Mike talks about the difficulties of starting an apparel company. He talks about how highly competitive the industry is. He explains how the more successful entrepreneurs have a strong vision for what’s trending in the market, and how they study their audience by getting “out there” and getting feedback from key sources. 13:26 – Mike shares his thoughts on the top three things that he learned when talking to retailers and consumers for Fisher and Baker, and how this feedback helped them prepare for a successful launch. 16:18 – Beginning of the “Tell Me How” Podcast Segment 16:35 – Mike talks about his approach to raising capital, such as having a unique value proposition, laying out key milestones that are reasonable and achievable, and being transparent. 18:11 – Mike gets into the details about what his investor pitch deck outline might look like. 20:00 – Our guest gets into the details about how he found a manufacturer for Fisher and Baker, and how he looked at the better apparel brands and learned who manufactured their items. 23:45 – Mike explains two basic ways of working with a manufacturer. The first is a full package method where the factory buys all textiles and trims on the brand’s behalf. This includes an up-charge of 12 to 18 percent. The second way is called CMT, where the manufacturer provides labor and trims, and the apparel company purchases the major raw materials. Mike explains the pros and cons of each of these two methods. 25:00 – Mike talks about other challenges when dealing with overseas manufacturers. For example, understanding the product life cycle within the supply chain, the importance of very clear communication (especially with Asian manufacturers), understanding the culture, and the importance of face-to-face meetings. 31:09 – Mike talks about how to...

Listen how Lisa Lavin explains her launch of PetChatz, the revolutionary pet technology product. Hear how she wisely began with solid “voice-of-the-consumer” research to work out many issues before the launch. Discover how she raised capital, found a manufacturer, and shifted from a traditional brick-and-mortar retail selling strategy to a more successful e-commerce, direct-to-consumer distribution model. Leave a Rating & Review in iTunes for the Product Launch Rebel Podcast (http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1136273740) Podcast Timeline: 0:47 – Introduction to Lisa Lavin – Founder and CEO of Anser Innovation, and developer of PetChatz. 2:38 – The “Give Me The Basics” Podcast Segment 2:44 – In her own words, Lisa describes what makes her product so unique to her customers. 5:11 – Lisa talks about how the PetChatz idea was founded, via a serendipitous lunch with her friend, Mark Kroll, who was a top medical device inventor. She explains that she “came from a long line of entrepreneurs.” 9:04 – Lisa talks about how she applied her background of doing “voice-of-consumer” research to test the PetChatz 1.0 product. She explains how they “learned a lot” and spent their whole next year in re-development. Then, during the beginning of 2016, when they re-introduced the PetChatz product, it became “one of the “Best in Tech” at the major Consumer Electronics Show.” 11:20 – Lisa further explains what she learned from the product testing period, and how she originally assumed the product was going to sold through bricks-and-mortar stores. And then how, instead, e-commerce became her main distribution channel. 13:10 – The “Tell Me How” Podcast Segment 13:26 – Lisa gets into the specifics of how she raised money for the business, and how it took three times more money, and three times more time, than expected. “Oh, my gosh, the lessons that I’ve learned.” 99% of investment came from the local investment community. She explains how she learned that you really have to understand your investor. 16:07 – Lisa describes the main topics in her investor presentation deck. She recommends having a “brief,” with five slides. Additionally, they had a full business plan and private placement memorandum. “You have to pitch and pitch and pitch.” “You have to refine your pitch and your deck, always ask for feedback.” “A lot of lessons there.” 17:32 – Lisa describes two key things that she learned in raising capital – that investors invest in the horse and the jockey. Do they believe in the CEO and the people behind the CEO? “We put together an amazing board of directors.” 19:34 – Lisa advises anyone to bootstrap their company as much as they can without raising capital, if they can. Her first round of capital was raised from good investor networks. 21:17 – What were the top reasons for investor rejection, early on? The male investor, who is not the typical pet parent, did not understand the concept. “You kind of have to understand the pet-parent mentality.” 22:40 – Lisa talks about how she found a manufacturer for her product. “We’re very, very lucky to have identified this manufacturer in our home town.” 24:25 – Lisa describes the difficulty in creating the PetChatz product. “Oh my goodness, yes.” “Developing the hardware is hard. Even more difficult is the software.“ 25:47 – Lisa talks about the common issues that exist when working with a manufacturer. She describes how “your manufacturing partner is critical here, and the ability to work through the issues together is so important.” 27:30 – Lisa describes selling her product to retailers and how they realized that e-commerce was a better opportunity for them. 29:00 – Lisa explains how she determined the pricing of her product. 30:35 – Lisa talks about the product mix, and how they arrived at the optimal mix for the company. 34:00 – Lisa describes how they are marketing their product on limited...

Listen how Chad Hetherington helps entrepreneurs find retail partners to launch and grow their products. Learn the keys to success in distributing products through large brick-and-mortar retailers. Leave a Rating & Review in iTunes for the Product Launch Rebel Podcast (http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1136273740) Podcast Timeline: 0:42 – Introduction to Chad Hetherington, Founder of The Stable 2:59 – Beginning of the “Give Me the Basics” Podcast Segment 3:45 – Chad describes his company, The Stable, and its role to help bring brands to retail partners, across different channels. 5:34 – Our guest talks about what he looks for in companies that he works with. A strong story; brands that disrupt their category; the strength of the management team. 6:22 – Chad gives examples of the types of brands that The Stable works with 7:28 – Chad describes the success rate of the new companies that he works with, and the keys to their success. 9:30 – Our guest shares details about the importance of launching carefully with big retailers and the danger of rolling out too big too fast. 10:50 – Chad talks about how often new “first-generation” brands need to pivot, or change, based on real-life consumer feedback or competitive situations, in order to survive. 13:19 – Chad shares how many brands he works, and how many employees work at The Stable 14:10 – Beginning of the “Tell Me How” Podcast Segment 14:35 – Chad talks about the keys to success for products at retail: 1. Great packaging and (2) price points that are competitive. 16: 54 – Chad expands on the topic of pricing and the experience of working with retailers on setting price. 19:02 – Our guest expands on the challenges of collaborating with large retailers on pricing, and the implications of pricing pressures has for small brands. 21:44 – Chad talks about how small brands are marketing their brands successfully, even if they have very limited marketing budgets. And how Facebook ads, a good PR partner, reasonable pricing and solid packaging can go a long way. 24:00 – Beginning of the “Let’s Get Personal” Segment 24:20 –Chad talks about his motivations to start a business like The Stable. 25:32 – Our guest describes what he’s most proud of as the founder of The Stable. 26:15 – Chad describes his biggest frustrations as an entrepreneur (“waiting around”) and his occasional bouts of self doubt. 28:15 – Chad talks about how starting a business changed him as a person. “It’s made me more humble.” “I have a different perspective on life than I ever did.” 29:23 – Our guest shares what he’s learned most about himself. “I know that I can do it.” “Can I actually pull this off?” “A drive that I never knew that I had.” 30:06 – Chad talks about who has been most influential to him. “My parents, for sure.” “My wife.” His previous boss at Quirky. Richard Branson from Virgin. 31:24 – Chad offers some closing advice for aspiring entrepreneurs. “Stay on the path that you set.” “Don’t give up.” “Every day is another day.” “Constantly tell your story.” “Don’t let a failure affect your life. Failures are what make you better.”

Listen as William Brown describes how he was inspired to improve the nutrition of cancer patients. Hear about his challenges of raising capital, marketing with small budgets, and convincing a manufacturer to produce his new product idea. Leave a Rating & Review in iTunes for the Product Launch Rebel Podcast (http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1136273740) Podcast Timeline: 0:48 – Introduction to Will Brown, CEO and Co-Founder of Trovita Health Science. 2:53 – William describes his company’s mission and products, and how he intends to change the paradigm of clinical nutrition. 4:20 – Our guest describes the size of his company, and his distribution channels 6:20 – William describes how his assumptions changed about his product, and how the product’s selling proposition evolved and became a hallmark for marketing. 7:54 – William talks about how he and his founders came up with the business idea and where the inspiration came from. 10:13 – The “Tell Me How” Segment of the Podcast 10:30 – Our guest addresses how he raised money to start this capital-intensive business. 12:19 – William expresses what he thinks is his company’s big opportunity and how that was described in the business plan 15:47 – Our guest describes his obstacles to raising money and recommends that to “focus is key.” 17:30 – William talks about what it feels like to ask for money from family, friends and venture capitalists. “I remember the fear.” “Most nervous I’ve ever been.” “Adrenaline rush.” 18:50 – William shares his experiences of seeking a manufacturer for his product. He describes the challenges to get the support from the manufacturer. 22:55 – Our guest describes how the company came up with the beverage formula. 25:38 – Our guest talks about his biggest lesson in selling to retailers, including jumping too quickly into the retail distribution model. 28:53 – William describes his experience and challenges of setting the company’s pricing strategy. 30:37 – William talks about creating awareness and demand for the product with small marketing budgets. 33:31 – “Let’s Get Personal” Segment of the Podcast 34:05 – Our guest talks about how it took him 2 to 3 years to get the company going. “It took a long time and a lot of effort.” 34:50 – William talks about how patients inspired him most to start the company, and how he needed to get a better product to the market. 36:19 – Our guest talks about why he thinks he’s a creator and why it was his destiny to launch his company. 37:00 – William describes his biggest joy of starting the company, and what has made him most proud. 38:35 – Our guest describes his biggest frustration of raising capital, and how it has diverted his attention from growing the business, spending time with customers and creating products. 39:54 – William talks about his experiences with self doubt, and how he’s “experienced every high and every low” and how it’s a “weekly roller-coaster ride.” 41:43 – Our guest talks about how being a first-time entrepreneur has changed him. 42:33 – William describes what he’s learned most about himself since being an entrepreneur. 43:50 – William shares who has been most influential to him, and why. 45:40 – Our guest shares his last key bit of advice to budding entrepreneurs: “just be a bulldog and maintain that tenacity.” “That level of tenacity is required.”

Hear the inspiring story of how this young entrepreneur is disrupting the bottled water industry. Listen as he describes his secret to raising money, of working with distributors and beating the mega-competitors by out-hustling them. Leave a Rating & Review in iTunes for the Product Launch Rebel Podcast (http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1136273740) Podcast Timeline: 0:43 – Introduction to Matthew Swanson, Co-Founder of Rethink Brands, and the producer of Rethink Water 2:41 – “Give Me the Basics” Podcast Segment –  Matthew describes Rethink Water and what makes it unique.  He explains the company’s mission to “go beyond just water” and describes its culture; “we have the mission of a non-profit, and hustle and drive of a for-profit” 4:13 – Matthew talks about their quick and rapid growth, the number of retailers they currently serve, getting into Target stores, and their total number of employees. 6:00 – Matthew expands on Rethink Water’s main point of difference (paper carton versus its reverse osmosis production technique) and how “plastic never touches” the water, thereby offering health benefits as well as environmental benefits. 6:47 – Matthew talks about how his initial assumptions changed regarding Rethink Water’s brand positioning. 8:02 – Matthew describes the genesis of the idea to launch Rethink Brands and how it evolved over time.  He talks about Chris, his friend and co-founder, and why “it’s extraordinarily important to have a co-founder.” 11:22 – “Tell Me How” Podcast Segment –  11:38 – Matthew describes his approach to raising capital for this capital-intensive business.  He advises aspiring entrepreneurs to raise three times the amount of money they think they would need for a food and beverage company.  He describes how fortunate he has been to meet people within the industry that have helped him.  He talks about the importance of seeking “value added investors” when starting a new beverage company for the first time. 16:02 – Matthew describes his challenges of raising money – his conversion rate was 15 to 20 percent. 17:00 – Matthew suggests that his career background – working for Procter & Gamble and Google – helped him launch the business. 17:52 – Matthew expands on why it can take three times more money than expected when you launch a company like Rethink Brands. 20:01 – Matthew describes the challenges of finding a contract manufacturer for Rethink Water and how they had to convince the manufacturers to work with them.  He mentions how tough it was to get the level of service they needed and deal with state regulations. 26:13 – Matthew talks about selling Rethink to retailers, including leading retailers like Target.  “A big learning experience.”  “You never really know what those hot buttons are to peak their excitement.” 29:13 – Matthew describes choosing the pricing of Rethink Water and relying on his successful Procter & Gamble method of presenting to retailers. 30:07 – Matthew shares his experience working with distributors and, in particular, one of the biggest distributors on the East Coast.  He describes the best way to work with distributors by offering them lots of people support. 31:44 – Matthew talks more about product pricing.  They did a lot of competitive analysis by distribution channel. 33:08 – Matthew describes the keys to creating consumer demand and awareness on a small budget, and hustling and working hard.  The company influences consumers at the point of purchase with lots of events and free sampling. 35:32 – “Let’s Get Personal” Podcast Segment — 35:58 – Matthew talks about his core motivations to start Rethink Brands.  He talks about “the wantrepreneur versus the entrepreneur” and how he was previously “always the wantrapreneur.”  Hear how he was inspired to become a true entrepreneur. 37:37 – Matthew describes whether or not he’s a true “creator” and if starting...

Hear the thrilling entrepreneurial journey of brewery founder, Adam Sjogren, of Northgate Brewing. Listen as he describes why and how they started, what it was like to raise capital, and how he promotes the company on a limited budget. Leave a Rating & Review in iTunes for the Product Launch Rebel Podcast (http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1136273740) Podcast Timeline: 0:43 – Introduction to Adam Sjogren, the co-founder of Northgate Brewing in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 2:41 – “Give Me the Basics” Podcast Segment – Adam describes his brewery company, how the business idea emerged, and what makes the brewery unique. 4:05 – Did his original startup assumptions prove correct, or did the company need to pivot based on customer feedback? Hear Adam share his answer. 5:17 – Adam describes the size and growth of Northgate Brewing, as well as future growth expectations and plans. 6:30 – Adam describes what it’s like running a small business for the first time. “My beard has gotten much grayer . . . but also very rewarding.” 6:51 – Adam shares how the company started: “It started with a broken ankle.” His co-founder, Todd, was in an entrepreneurship class and he wrote the business plan, thereby expressing to Adam, “I think we can do this.” Hear Adam describe that “we started in a 700 square-foot garage and it worked! Somehow it became successful!” 8:36 – “Tell Me How” Podcast Segment – About raising capital (8:51) and asking friends and family for money. Adam describes he and Todd emptying their nest eggs. “There was a lot of beer involved, so that helped!” And “a lot of sleepless nights.” 11:25 – Adam describes his background before starting the company. 11:33 – Adam shares how they learned how to manufacture the beer. He talked to the helpful founders of other companies (i.e. Surly and Fulton). These people were very open about the process and how to source the equipment. They used converted dairy equipment. 12:54 – Adam addresses some of their early manufacturing problems. “It never goes smoothly.” He advises others to add six months to the startup process because of the industry federal and state regulation. 14:09 – Adam offers his key pieces of advice regarding manufacturing. “Check the references of the manufacturers.” “Friends in the industry gave us amazing tips.” “Get the best equipment you can afford.” 14:55 – Adam describes how he approached bars and restaurants (to sell to them) and the importance of product sampling and the relationships with owners and buyers. 15:55 – Adam shares his experiences about being rejected and the pressures of selling: “I get rejected every day. You gotta have thick skin in this business.” “’No’ doesn’t usually mean ‘no,’ it usually means ‘not now.’” 17:19 – Adam talks about the challenges and importance of creating consumer demand – and creating community involvement, offering events and educating bar and restaurant servers. 20:29 – Adam describes how they set their pricing. They had to raise their price after running the business for 6 months. Margins weren’t large enough. They re-did all of their pricing sheets. 21:45 – Adam offers his thoughts on working with distributors, and the pros and cons of working with them. 23:38 – “Let’s Get Personal Podcast Segment” – Adam describes his entrepreneurial motivations (23:50). 25:00 – Adam shares what he’s been most proud of – his biggest joy – since starting Northgate Brewing. 25:52 – Adam expresses his number one frustration since starting Northgate Brewing. 26:23 – Adam talks about some of his self doubt as an entrepreneur. Despite his success, he talks about his “sleepless nights lying there staring at the ceiling, wondering what I did wrong. It’s very frustrating to start a business.” 27:20 – Adam describes how starting a business has changed him, and how he’s “much more assertive now.” But also “more willing to listen and more willing to admit that I...