The Empowered Challenger

When Suzie Welsh Devine saw women struggling to find the answers they needed at overcrowded fertility clinics, she knew there had to be a better way. At the time, Suzie was a women's health and fertility nurse, but she came from an entrepreneurial family. Seeing a gap in the market, she combined her business savvy, passion for women's health, and personal insights into fertility treatments to create BINTO, short for “Bun in the Oven.” She hopes that the company will change the way we see women's health, supplemental treatments, and the medical industry as a whole.“Wouldn't we be better off focusing on preventative medicine over inpatient care?” Suzie asks in this episode of The Empowered Challenger. “Are there other ways of handling things before we move to prescription drugs? That's really what we're interested in.” Suzie founded BINTO in 2016, with $20,000 she'd saved and without traditional investors. Initially, she targeted the supplements to women receiving fertility treatments. Using the industry-disrupting powers of direct-to-consumer selling, and personalized marketing and products, BINTO is challenging an industry that's been tough to crack. Since then, Suzie has started looking beyond fertility treatment, at other elements of women's health that need a revamp. “I think we're just at the tip of the iceberg when it comes to our potential, and what we want to be,” Suzie says.  Featured Challenger

When Stan Chia joined Vivid Seats in November 2018 as its CEO, he was excited about giving the profitable online ticket marketplace a stronger consumer-facing identity. Stan, who previously held executive roles at Grubhub and Amazon, joined the online ticketing company at a time when the secondary ticket market was growing by double digits year over year. Then the pandemic hit and live events ground to a halt. As Stan puts it, events were the first “to shut down and almost the last to come back.”On this episode of The Empowered Challenger, Stan talks about steering the company through the pandemic and how he's positioning Vivid Seats to win consumers' hearts (and dollars) as the pandemic moves into the rearview mirror. With fans excited to get back to concerts, sports and other kinds of live entertainment, Stan says trust is critical when you're the company selling people their tickets. Consumers want to be assured that gathering in crowds will be done safely and that purchasing tickets is a hassle-free experience from a provider that will stand behind purchases. Even before COVID-19 upended life as we know it, Vivid Seats was building out its loyalty program, which enabled consumers to earn rewards on every transaction. Now, Vivid Seats has enhanced the program in an effort to make it “almost infallible from the value that we deliver to customers,” Stan explains. Now, anyone who uses the Vivid Seats platform earns 10% on every ticket purchase. Plus, the program looks for ways to add “surprise and delight elements,” such as exclusive parties and experiences. It's part of Stan's plan to “emerge stronger” from tough times. Tune in to this episode to hear more about how Vivid Seats differentiates itself in the online ticketing space through partnerships with Rolling Stone magazine and more, and why Stan doesn't believe in focusing too much on competitors (even though he respects what they do).  Featured Challenger

Michael Rich has been obsessed with sneakers for almost as long as he can remember. Michael got his start in the shoe business at age 16 when he sought out a job selling shoes at his local mall. After college, he went on to work on the manufacturing side and traveled across the world making shoes in foreign markets. For years, he dreamed of creating a sneaker brand of the future. Finally, he launched Psudo, a DTC sustainable sneaker brand, in 2019. “These are your ‘running around shoes,' not your running shoes,” Michael says on this episode of The Empowered Challenger. Sustainability is core to the brand. The upper part of the shoe is made from recycled plastic water bottles. The sneakers are made in a Milwaukee-based solar-powered shoe factory, while its packaging is made from 100% recycled content. Psudo shoes are also made entirely in the U.S. While shoe manufacturing is rare in the United States — Michael estimates less than 5% of the shoes Americans wear are created domestically — he was determined to make it part of Psudo.And though it wasn't easy, he's found the benefits of domestic production to be significant: more control over the process, nimble response to customer demand, and shorter manufacturing runs.Marketing the challenger brand hasn't been easy — especially for Michael who didn't come from a digital marketing background. He believes Psudo's innovative design coupled with the brand's commitment to transparency are key ingredients for Psudo's growth. Ultimately, Michael believes in the magnetism of a good brand narrative: “[P]eople will be reaching out more and more to do collaborations, to have the opportunity to do a podcast like this … I think one thing kind of takes care of the other.” On this episode of The Empowered Challenger, he also discusses his plan for creating a “circular brand” that customers can return for repurposing and get a fresh look.  Featured Challenger

Known among her friends as the person to call for design tips, Ariel Kaye realized that she had an opportunity to use passion for interior design to start a home goods company. But instead of creating just another brand that sells bed sheets, towels and other products for the home, Ariel wanted to create a company that prioritizes its relationship with customers — in a way she wasn't seeing in the industry.When she launched Parachute, Ariel focused mainly on bedding, emphasizing the value of quality sheets when it comes to getting restful sleep at night.“Sleep is so important. [Bedding] impacts your life in such a phenomenal way,” Ariel says on this episode of The Empowered Challenger. “I knew that bedding was such an opportunity to build a connection and trust within the customer base to literally get in bed with them every night.” Though Ariel was new to entrepreneurship, her background in advertising has helped her see an opportunity to be a guiding light in this industry. She knows how to put customers first, cultivating the kinds of consumer-company relationships that are unique and make her company stand out amongst the rest. Tune in to this episode to hear how she changed career paths to fulfill her dream of challenging the home goods industry from the inside, as well as how she's positioned Parachute to help people create their dream homes. Featured Challenger

Kim Malek built a successful ice cream business around one central idea: community. As the CEO and co-founder of Salt & Straw, Kim disrupted the idea of a typical ice cream shop by building an inviting, accepting environment that showcases local artisans and unique flavors. Kim's career started at Starbucks, where she worked in marketing when the iconic coffee brand only had about 30 stores nationwide. With previous marketing experience at companies like Yahoo!, Adidas, and (RED), she learned a lot about what it takes to build a global brand. "I always like to say I learned enough to be dangerous about a bunch of different things —  operations, real estate, branding, but most importantly… building a company based on people and how you treat people," Kim says on this episode of The Empowered Challenger. During her years in corporate America, Kim kept her ice cream shop vision on the back burner. After a decade of toying around with the idea, she moved to Portland, Oregon, and was struck by the strong sense of community in the entrepreneurial city. She knew it was "the perfect vehicle" to bring her ice cream store idea to life. She partnered with her cousin, Tyler, to figure out a unique ice cream making process. They shopped around town and found standout local ingredients —  chocolate, salt from a local saltmaker, and cheese from local farms. They realized they could foster a true sense of community by focusing on "farm-to-cone" ingredients, highlighting the artisans who made them. One of Kim's favorite pieces of advice is to not take advice. She welcomes stories about the experiences of fellow business owners and entrepreneurs but, unless you're in her exact shoes, she doesn't want to be told what to do. If Kim had followed everyone's advice when she was starting her business, she'd never be where she's at today. Kim started by opening a single store in Portland's Alberta Arts District. Now, there are 25 more throughout the U.S., plus a successful ecommerce business.  Featured Challenger

When Chuck Cohn was struggling with a difficult college calculus class, he had a hard time finding the right place to access resources to help him improve. So he decided to take matters into his own hands. Chuck launched Nerdy, a direct-to-consumer platform connecting students and subject matter experts, with $1,000 from his dorm room. Now, Nerdy is a publicly traded company with a $1.7 billion valuation. In this episode of The Empowered Challenger, Chuck discusses the path from upstart challenger to industry leader. “It might just be how I'm wired, but I've always felt like I had a target on the back or a little bit of a chip on the shoulder,” he says. Even as an industry leader, Nerdy recognizes it must operate with urgency to continue to maintain its position as learning activities continue to go virtual.Chuck explains: “We want to make sure we capitalize on this unique moment in time as learning shifts aggressively from offline to online — which of course in an online world where the best product is only a click away, you end up with power law distributions of returns and certain companies that seize that moment disproportionately benefiting from such a shift.”When Chuck started Nerdy in 2007, people doubted the concept. But doubters are part of the challenger journey: “There were countless people I encountered that thought this was a little tutoring opportunity constrained by historical market dynamics that had historically existed, but they failed to realize how transformational the internet could be in this category,” he says. On this episode, learn about how Nerdy approaches customer acquisition, how Chuck thinks about Nerdy's competitors, as well as the product changes he thinks will continue to differentiate Nerdy in an increasingly crowded marketplace.   Featured Challenger

Burke Morley has worked in creative strategy for brands like Nike and Sonic. But as Vice President of Brand and Executive Creative Director at direct-to-consumer mattress company Purple, he's had to create a marketing strategy to win hearts and minds for a product with a unique sales cycle. “People don't really think about or care about mattresses until they need one. Then they care a lot about it, very intensely for a short amount of time, and then they kind of go back to not caring about it,” Burke says on The Empowered Challenger. Though mattresses aren't top-of-mind for most people on a daily basis, Purple's passionate customer base gives the five-year old brand and edge — referrals continue to be its top acquisition channel. Warm associations are critical for Burke's approach: “I want to be in the ether,” he says. “We can't really anticipate when people are going into that buying cycle. So we have to be in the air with a positive impression so that when they do move into that buying cycle — where we're at the top.”In this episode of the podcast, Burke talks about what it takes to market an upstart brand in a crowded and competitive market, how he incorporates the mattress' unique technology into advertising — and how he's setting the brand up to move out of the bedroom.  Featured Challenger

Luxury beauty doesn't have to carry a luxury price tag. That's the concept behind Beauty Pie, a fast-growing and industry-disrupting beauty brand. Beauty Pie positions itself as the “luxury Costco for beauty products.” For a monthly fee starting at $10, consumers get “backstage access” to premium products at lower costs, Rob Weston, Beauty Pie's Chief Marketing Officer, explains on this episode of The Empowered Challenger. “The very best products cost about $30 right out of the lab. The rest of it is the middleman margin — the flagship stores, the chandeliers, marble countertops — none of the stuff that makes your skin more beautiful,” says Rob.“We want to literally share the beauty pie — essentially the spoils of the beauty industry — with consumers.”When it comes to winning over customers, Rob, a marketing vet with more than 20 years of experience, says it's about embracing the conversation. Gone are the days when brands could place an ad and change consumer behavior. That's why he appreciates Beauty Pie's 14,000+ Facebook community. He acknowledges that some feedback on the page “keeps us on our toes,” but emphasizes the importance of brands and consumers having a two-way exchange.  Tune in to this episode to find out how Beauty Pie is changing the market for luxury cosmetics by being less greedy than the competition, how Rob thinks about spending his marketing dollars (new customer acquisition!), as well as how the pandemic affected Beauty Pie's business and what comes next. Prentice's Takeaway

Waste management isn't the most glamorous field. But Tom Szaky, the founder of TerraCycle, a company that works with other companies and governments to recycle what has been typically un-recyclable, saw opportunity in it.“There's such an opportunity to innovate around the topic of waste,” Tom says. “It has been a very uninnovative category because it is, quite literally, shitty, nasty and gross.”One of Tom's niches that he didn't see other entrepreneurs chomping at the bit to fill? Diaper recycling.When TerraCycle figured out how to recycle diapers — which make up a sizable chunk of non-biodegradable waste — a decade ago, it struggled with getting diaper companies on board. Companies knew it would be beneficial to the environment if their products were sustainable, but they often weren't willing to shell out the money to make it happen.TerraCycle turned that hesitancy into a marketing opportunity. “Everyone would prefer not to buy diapers. But while your kids are in diapers, you might choose Brand A over Brand B,” Tom says on this episode of The Empowered Challenger. “So, if Brand A is doing what it can to be sustainable and incentivizing recycling, that gives them a leg up. We framed the entire approach to diaper recycling as something that can drive market share.”TerraCycle's challenge isn't having to rise above its competitors: it's getting people to care about sustainability, and brands to realize the potential market value of embracing the environmentally conscious future. In doing so, not only is the company challenging companies to rethink their marketing strategies around sustainability, but it's changing the game of entrepreneurship entirely.Featured Challenger

Stuart — or “Stu” — Landesberg grew up in New York thinking that everyone used brown, recycled paper towels and had a compost bin in their yard. Then he found out the truth, which developed the young would-be entrepreneur's ambition for changing the world through challenging consumer habits. “My early childhood experiences left a huge imprint on me in terms of what I accept as normal,” Stu says on this episode of The Empowered Challenger. “I grew up with a lens that I still see the world from today, which is that the world should be more sustainable than it is. That's at the core of Grove.” Stuart gained private equity skills during his time at TPG Capital while still holding onto his passion for the planet. By combining his business skills (and a little bit of self-admitted hubris) with his environmentalism, he eventually came up with the Grove Collaborative, a company that produces and sells natural, eco-friendly home goods. The road to success wasn't always easy — Stuart says that if he had known how hard it was going to be to start a company, he “probably wouldn't have done it.” But now Grove Collaborative's products are found nationwide at Target, with more successes on the way. More than anything, Stuart thinks about how important it is to disrupt consumer habits and make sure that doing the sustainable thing is the convenient thing, instead of the other way around. With easy access to sustainable, natural products, the path to permanently eliminating plastic waste is in the consumer's hands. Disrupter-at-a-Glance

Harriet Dwyer went from working as a grant researcher to revolutionizing support work in Australia as the Chief of Staff at Hireup. By removing the traditional agency middleman, Hireup's online platform connects people with disabilities directly to support workers that fit their lifestyle.Previously, people with disabilities in Australia had virtually zero control over how government funds were used for the support they needed. The money was usually given to nonprofit organizations that decided how the support was structured and who was sent to assist each person. Hireup's co-founder, Jordan O'Reilly, witnessed his brother suffer through this inadequate system and decided it was time for a change. The rise in peer-to-peer platforms like Uber and Airbnb sparked an idea — what if receiving disability support was that convenient and personalized? Intrigued by the thought, he set out to remove the middleman of disability support care in Australia. "What I think Jordan did really well at the start is he hired entrepreneurial people," Harriet says on this episode of The Empowered Challenger. It was vital to be surrounded by individuals who could work together to figure out answers for challenges they had no idea how to approach, such as funding, regulation, and safety. One of the most important — and at the time, controversial — decisions Hireup made was to hire its support workers as employees, rather than independent contractors like most other platforms did. Harriet says this decision "just felt right," as they wanted their workers to form longstanding, healthy relationships and feel valued. Hireup describes itself as a "profit for a purpose" company. It was the first purpose-led business to top Deloitte's list of fastest-growing tech companies and its market share will only continue to grow as it empowers more people with disabilities to make their own support decisions.  Featured Challenger

Aishetu Fatima Dozie, or Aisha for short, is a first-generation Nigerian American who's always had big goals for herself. After almost 20 years working as a banker, a health scare helped her realize it was time to pursue her passion. “Being diagnosed with severe hypertension was my wakeup call that I needed to change my life,” Aishetu says on this episode of The Empowered Challenger. “I didn't feel like I was tapping into my purpose. ... I really felt like I had a destiny, and I wasn't even close to it as an investment banker.” Wanting to empower women to be their best selves, Aishetu considered going into the nonprofit sector. But after some careful thinking, she decided reaching her goals required a more entrepreneurial path — which led to starting Bossy Cosmetics.“I felt incredibly strongly that I wanted to work with women, to be a part of igniting confidence in women,” Aishetu says. “I just want to be about everything that elevates women and gets us closer to having a seat at every single table.”Bossy Cosmetics started out as a lipstick company but has since expanded. This doesn't change Aishetu's goals for the company, which she defines as a “women's empowerment and mission-driven business that masquerades as a beauty company.” One of the keys to Aishetu's success is that she doesn't compare her company to other makeup businesses. She knows Bossy Cosmetics is unique in that it doesn't just think about how women want to look, but how they want to feel. “How you select your makeup has everything to do with how you want to show up in the world,” Aishetu says. “There's a very strong emotional connection between how women shop for their makeup and how they want to use that makeup to influence how they feel and how they perform.” Featured Challenger

Andrea Brimmer was once asked how she got her CFO to give her the greenlight to allocate half a million dollars for a customer giveaway during the week of Thanksgiving. “I said, ‘I didn't ask her because I don't have to,'” Andrea says. “And that wasn't me being facetious or cocky and saying I don't have to get permission from anybody to do anything. But it's me saying she believes in that program as much as I do.”Andrea is CMO and head of PR for Ally Financial, a completely online financial services company. With the promise of 24/7 support and unique virtual reality (among other) offerings, Ally strives to create meaningful and lasting connections with its customers — and all of Andrea's work is driven by that mission. She's doing something right, because Ally's CEO has received letters from CEOs of other banks commending the company for its “brilliant” ideas. Because the Ally team is constantly taking risks and concocting creative messaging, Ally's customers are on board when the bank takes new leaps. The hallmark of the brand is customer centricity, and with everyone from the CEO to call center employees committed to that core value, Andrea believes the company will continue to succeed. “My team made Ad Age's 2019 Marketers of the Year list, and the reason I was so proud of that is, as I looked at that list I thought … we're showing up on this list with Apple and with Burger King, and with Allbirds and all these brands that are out there and are doing all this crazy and interesting stuff,” she says. “We've cracked the code, because we've gotten consumers to think of us in a really different way because of our actions.”  Featured Challenger

I've always admired Brian Scudamore - both personally and professionally. A high-school dropout, Brian scaled a junk hauling side-hustle into a $300+ million business empire. His commitment to being an exceptional leader and a dedicated family man is unparalleled. Listen as Brian shares invaluable tips on how challenger brands can transform a business from ordinary to exceptional through consistent hiring practices, excellent customer service and taking time to learn from other industries.Top 3 QuotesI'm a happy and optimistic leader and I wanted that same feeling for my entire company.Open your mind. Be open to opportunities and new ways of doing things, but at the same time not giving up focus on what you've got.It's all these little things that add up to an easy experience for the customerShow Highlights[01:52] How Brian became a self-declared minimalist[03:40] Baking compulsive servitude into the company DNA[05:37] The things Brian is most proud of[07:11] Consistent delivery equals delightful customer journey[09:53] The narrative thread towards success[10:55] Daily habits and maintaining them[12:28] Learning from an earlier incident[13:55] Brian's competitive advantage[14:42] Make meaning vs. Make money[15:59] A personal WHY[17:00] Marketing tactics to grow the company[19:02] Was it a challenge to make junk sexy, relevant, and interesting?[20:13] Entrepreneurs Organization (EO)[23:11] Finding inspiration outside your own industry[24:30] Did Marie Kondo single-handedly increase Brian's revenue?[25:32] What's next for Brian?[27:22] Prentice's Challenger TakeawaysResourcesO2E BrandsConnect with Brian on LinkedInConnect with Brian on TwitterConnect with Brian on FacebookWTF?! (Willing to Fail): How Failure Can Be Your Key to Success

Enrico Frezza went from testing skincare products in his kitchen (and sometimes burning layers of skin off) to building the number one acne brand in Sephora North America. As the founder and CEO of Peace Out Skincare, Enrico is challenging the clinical, unappealing acne industry with unique, effective products and a brand centered around “acne positivity.”Initially, Enrico's goal was to find a solution to his own acne problems. After trying every acne spot treatment in the drug stores, he set out to make his own product by mixing hydrocolloid wound care dressing with salicylic acid. He left it on overnight and when he woke up his pimples were gone, but a layer of his skin was gone, too. It wasn't great, but it was a start and Enrico knew he had found a solution.  He approached 65 different labs that all told him it wasn't possible to mix active ingredients with hydrocolloid dressing. Undeterred, Enrico (who worked in cybersecurity and had zero scientific background) researched patents and found one with a mix of ingredients that gave him hope his product was possible to produce. He met with the business that held the patent and they started on the R&D process. Together, Enrico and his husband, Junior, who has 20 years of experience in consumer marketing, built the Peace Out brand — as in "peace out" to your skin imperfections. After seeing how clinical, doctor-driven, and sometimes scary acne marketing was, Enrico wanted to build an upbeat, engaging, and simple brand while bringing breakthrough technology to the industry. From the start, their goal was to launch with Sephora. On this episode, Enrico shares how Peace Out got its startup brand into the multinational cosmetics retailer, and how it became the number one acne brand at Sephora North America.  Featured Challenger

The COVID-19 pandemic has business owners and public service providers worrying about infectious diseases more than ever. Lisa Tecklenburg, Chief Marketing Officer at R-Zero, wants to help ease some of those concerns.R-Zero's flagship product is the Arc UV-C system, which uses ultraviolet-C (UVC) light to kill pathogens in the air and on surfaces in just a few minutes. It sounds like science fiction, but according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), UVC light has been used as a disinfectant for decades. It's been shown to disable the SARS-Coronavirus, which is similar to the virus that causes COVID-19.Lisa is aware that one of R-Zero's challenges is education around the potential of UVC. The company was founded in April 2020, so identifying the brand as an authority is crucial, especially given all the snake oil salesmen benefitting from the pandemic.“Getting third-party testing that said, ‘This kills 99.99% of coronavirus and MRSA and influenza' was critically important, especially in the UVC market, because some of the products aren't up to snuff,” she says. It helps that in addition to having a chief scientist with infectious disease experience on the team, Lisa herself has a background in microbiology.“I was really looking for an opportunity that did two things: fundamentally changed healthcare and saved lives,” she says. “I came across R-Zero and immediately thought, I have to be connected to this company.” Featured Challenger

Craig Dubitsky is a self-described lifelong entrepreneur. Craig founded Hello Products, a friendly, all-natural personal care brand, and he now works as the Chief Innovation Strategist at Colgate (after Colgate acquired his brand!).  You'd be hard-pressed to find someone more obsessed with packaging and design than Craig, who believes there's no such thing as a boring category — only boring execution. As a testament to this belief, his first product at Hello was toothpaste. While browsing through the typical chain drugstore one day, Craig was struck by the sudden horror of how doom and gloom toothpaste packaging was. For instance, he noticed that most of them included ingredients banned by the FDA in other products that didn't even go inside your body. (Plus, why do they always show graphics of teeth falling out? Don't we want our teeth to stay in?)"If it's going in your mouth, it's going in your body," Craig says. This pushed him to create something that was natural and highly effective. The first thing Craig did was trademark "Hello" in a ton of different product categories to ensure he could truly promote the friendliest brand possible. Then he got to work with a formulator with "more degrees than a thermometer." Craig's brand journey is the exact opposite of your typical direct-to-consumer brand: he started out in Target, Walmart, CVS, Walgreens and other major retailers because he knew his brand held certain credibility just by being inside those brick and mortars. Craig is all about humanizing brands and making the world a friendlier place. "I never use the word ‘consumer.'  I don't use the word ‘customer.' I'll use the word ‘people' — we're all people, we happen to consume things. I think a lot of companies — a lot of larger brands — spoke to people as if they were just consumers and that, to me, was the opportunity," he says on this episode of The Empowered Challenger.  Featured Challenger

Early on in his life, Matt Salzberg knew he wanted to be an entrepreneur. After earning an MBA from Harvard and seeking out jobs at venture capitalist firms to help build his professional network, Matt was ready to begin his entrepreneurial journey. Matt is the founder and chairman of Blue Apron, the pioneering brand of meal delivery services. It's essentially a household name at this point but if you aren't familiar, the service partners with farmers to source high-quality ingredients for meal kits delivered right to your door. Blue Apron was born as a result of two key things: Matt's personal need to cook unique meals at home with his now-wife; and his sharp business acumen after noticing that grocery and food held less than a 1 percent share of the e-commerce market penetration at the time. During his research phase, Matt came across a business in Sweden that offered a similar service and learned that around 7 percent of the country's population used it to cook at home. He thought to himself, "Wow, if 7 percent of the Swedish population could use or want a service like this, boy, could it be successful in the U.S.!"Blue Apron's early marketing programs focused heavily on trials and referrals, but not in the typical sense. Because the concept of ordering meal kits online was so novel at the time, Matt created a unique referral program to help assuage concerns. Here's how it worked: Blue Apron would send free deliveries to loyal customers for their friends to try. The program turned out to be a major hit.Besides this referral strategy, Matt credits Blue Apron's early success to nailing down the unit economics. Figuring out costs and profit for food, shipping, production, packaging, and labor helped to justify scaling the business while giving it a strong financial profile. Matt built Blue Apron up from nothing to earning $900 million in revenue in just six years and then took the company public. Since its inception, many customers have claimed that Blue Apron changed their lives and saved their marriages with its easy, delicious, sustainably sourced meals. "Some people tell you your business ideas are dumb, but actually the more nefarious thing is most people just smile and grin at you about your business idea. They say, 'Oh yeah, cool, I'd buy that.' There's a very big difference between that and 'You've changed my life,'" Matt says.  Featured Challenger

Amy Risley feels that she has always been an entrepreneur at heart. Because her father worked in manufacturing for Estée Lauder, she became obsessed with all of the "lotions and potions" he brought home during her childhood. She also met Estée Lauder when she was five — and according to Amy, seeing a woman in such a powerful role left a lasting impression. After graduating from Princeton and spending years doing marketing for beauty companies like L'Oréal, Estée Lauder and Jo Malone, Amy became a stay-at-home mom — although she knew she'd eventually return to work one day. Serendipitously, she met the woman who owned the recipe for Skinfix balm, which ignited Amy's entrepreneurial spark. Amy read customer testimonials from people who tried tons of outlandish remedies for serious skin issues, from diabetic foot ulcers to psoriasis; they claimed this healing balm helped alleviate their symptoms and enhanced their quality of life. After seeing these reports, Amy was 100% in. The first order of business was to update the branding and create a highly targeted message. "When something does everything, it does nothing," Amy says. She took the brand from being an "everything balm" to focusing on eczema.Amy knew Skinfix would be taking on major players like Aveeno and Cetaphil in the eczema category but she felt ready for it. This may have been a bit naive, but "I think you have to be naive and sort of a dreamer to really survive as an entrepreneur," Amy says. Landing an early partnership with Target was crucial for Skinfix's brand development and ultimate success. Target helped nurture the indie brand, providing guidance on what was important for its target market, such as being dermatologist-recommended and clinically proven. From $100,000 in annual revenue to being carried exclusively by Sephora, Amy built a company that challenges household name beauty brands. She'll never stop giving consumers "what they want and what they need at the right price, and delivering a solution that's actually going to help."##Featured Challenger

Despite living in the fashion capital New York City during and after college, it was an eventful trip to the Gobi Desert that inspired Matt Scanlan and his co-founder Diederik Rijsemus to start an ethical cashmere apparel brand Naadam.The pair had planned to travel around Asia, but through a series of miscommunications, they spent a month living with nomadic sheep herders in Mongolia. After returning to the U.S., they started Naadam to help their new friends sell their cashmere for a fairer price.Matt explains that buying directly from the people caring for the goats means Naadam can guarantee that the herders — and their goats — are treated with respect, unlike other companies that don't offer transparency over their supply chains.And Naadam doesn't just buy the cashmere. The company contributes to community projects that help the herders and their families — and, yes, their goats. For example, Naadam has helped to advance initiatives designed to stop desertification (the loss of grazing land), provide access to vets and build a play park.Far from being self-righteous, Matt is self-deprecating and funny, which is how he wants Naadam to feel. “I assume everybody else in the room is smarter than me, and that's who we want to be as a brand. I think people subconsciously identify with that. … We don't think we're better than anybody else. We think we're equal with everybody else.” ##Featured Challenger

Kelly Love's business idea was born from the need to live a healthier life free of the toxic chemicals we unknowingly surround ourselves with daily. As a co-founder of Brand Basics, a plant and mineral-based cleaning product line, Kelly wants to teach consumers how to integrate healthy, non-toxic products into their lives while removing harmful ones. "I'm just really hoping people understand that what we put in, on and around our bodies everyday matters and it makes a difference for our long-term health and our everyday quality of life," Kelly says. Her team didn't initially set out to sell soap. At first, they discussed all kinds of products, from water filters to mattresses, but realized people didn't know where to start on their journey to a healthier lifestyle. They ultimately decided on a cleaning product because, as Kelly says, these items are “some of the most toxic products we're exposed to that we bring into our homes.” Plus, they wouldn't be a huge investment for consumers. After a few years of business with its own white-label cleaning solution, Branch Basics' manufacturer went proprietary with the formula. This caused serious backlash, leading the company to shut down and take a few years to test over a hundred product formulas to find the safest, most effective one. However, the team's unrelenting passion for their brand's mission brought on its successful comeback. With the help of a PR firm, a squad of influencers, loyal customers and educational content, Branch Basics cultivated a strong following. As a challenger brand all about giving customers the resources to make their own decisions, Branch Basics aims to help consumers take preventative and proactive control over their health. ##Prentice's Challenger Takeaway

Mental health has gone from taboo to hot topic in the last few years. But Kendall Bird, co-founder of the mental wellness network Frame, believes we still need help accessing and destigmatizing therapy.Frame was born from Kendall's frustrations with trying to find a therapist who really understood her, and her friend and co-founder Sage Grazer's frustrations as a therapist struggling to find clients. The two joined forces and created a platform that connects people who want therapy with a therapist who suits them. On Frame, clients are matched with a shortlist of therapists based on a short survey. They interview as many as they want and then decide who's the best match. They can also schedule and pay for their sessions on the platform, and even hold HIPAA-compliant video sessions on it, too.Frame launched in California in April 2020, just as the COVID-19 pandemic increased the number of people in need of remotely accessible mental health support. The platform is free for therapy seekers, while therapists pay a monthly subscription for tools that help them support existing clients as well as finding new ones.Kendall firmly believes that therapy can benefit everyone, whether they've been diagnosed with a mental health condition, are struggling with a specific circumstance or want to work on themselves.“A lot of people go to therapy for a specific reason, and they stay in therapy because they realize it's just helpful in so many aspects of your life.”##Prentice's Challenger Takeaway

James Kyd has always been fascinated with human behavior and how companies, brands and products connect with people. After working for IBM for more than 15 years and serving as CMO of one of New Zealand's largest tech companies, Tait Communications, James now works as the Global Head of Brand Strategy and Marketing at Xero. Much different from the global powerhouses of his previous workplaces, Xero creates cloud-based accounting software that makes life (and numbers) easier for millions of small business owners around the world. At Xero, James invites employees to challenge his perspective on everything. "As leaders, [we must create] a psychologically safe environment — [that means] being open about where we're at and who we are, and enabling our team to challenge us on what we're doing and engage in a true conversation with anyone in the business," James says. James believes challenger brands require what he calls "economic marketers." Without limited resources, you have to focus on the marketing campaigns and messaging that will have the most impact on your business. How do you determine what resonates most with your core audience? Appeal to emotions. According to James, "If you can ensure there's an emotional connection — something that captures the human spirit and emotive side — you're going to be more powerful in what you're trying to communicate.”Empower your customers, don't let past trends define your business's path, and stay true to your brand's vision and mission. James advises letting that vision live out through every employee, whether they're a sales rep or the CMO. "Some of that challenger brand status comes by what our people do every day and we don't need to see or recognize it — it's just who we are and how we are," James says.   Featured Challenger

For Adelanwa Adesanya, "entrepreneurship has always been a calling and a mission to really solve challenges in society but at the same time, create economic opportunity for other people." He grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, watching his father's entrepreneurial pursuits meaningfully impact his employees and other people's lives.Inspired to start his own entrepreneurial journey, Ade decided to take on the leading cause of death in the U.S. — heart disease. He co-founded Moving Analytics, a healthcare technology company that provides cardiovascular disease management programs “designed to empower people to teach them all the skills they need to have heart-healthy habits."Ade was moved to this cause after realizing 30-40% of medical expenses could be avoided if healthcare providers got people to adopt healthier lifestyles. It would also cut down on the 40-50% of people who suffer a second heart attack within a year after their first one. Cardiac rehabs have been around for 80 years, but with high barriers to care: there are few rehab centers close to people's homes or work and for elderly patients who don't live near a large hospital system, transportation is difficult and expensive. These barriers mean only about 20% of patients end up attending cardiac rehab — but Moving Analytics' virtual care setting eliminated all of these obstacles. Moving Analytics sits in the middle of patients, doctors, and insurance companies. Ade communicates with each stakeholder in a unique way: he handles patients with a compassionate bedside manner, and he takes a clinically proven stance with doctors, a cost-savings focus with insurance companies, and a partnership approach with healthcare providers. "At our company, our mantra is empathy guiding expertise," Ade says. From Moving Analytics' products to its company culture to how the team supports each other, it all comes down to empathy. ##Prentice's Challenger Takeaway

For years, most travelers have grumpily accepted airlines' ever-increasing baggage fees. But the president of LugLess, Aaron Kirley, presents a more affordable option.For a fee that is usually less than the cost of checking a bag, LugLess will ship your luggage to your destination. Simply enter your travel details on the company's website, print and attach your label to your bags and drop them off at a participating FedEx or UPS. Rather than haul your bags yourself through the airport, you'll find them waiting for you at your destination hotel or Airbnb.Aaron says he first got into luggage shipping in 2005, when he founded a premium service called Luggage Forward. He acquired LugLess after seeing it on Shark Tank in 2013, and relaunched it as a more affordable variation in 2018.Aaron credits several factors with helping the business take off. First, airlines have been on a fee-raising spree — in spite of losing the luggage they charge so much to transport. Second, the millennial audience LugLess mainly serves has embraced major shifts in the travel industry, thanks to the likes of Airbnb, Uber and Kayak. A new way to move their luggage fit right in. While airlines continue to cling to their baggage-handling fees, Aaron says LugLess has nobler priorities. “We're trying really hard to be disciplined and remain laser-focused on our customers' needs.”  Featured Challenger

Kara Goldin had a serious Diet Coke addiction. Looking for healthier alternatives that didn't involve artificial sweeteners, Kara started tossing fruit into her water. Little did she know, she was concocting the first recipe for what would become Hint, a $100+ million beverage brand, right in her kitchen. As the former VP of Electronic Commerce and Shopping at AOL, Kara wasn't lacking in business experience or online retailing know-how, but she had zero experience in the beverage industry. She didn't let this stop her, though. Kara knew she had the answer to a problem many people didn't know how to solve and believed “Hint could actually change health in America, and the world, by getting people to enjoy water again.” Hint had the unplanned advantage of launching in “the Silicon Valley of beverage brands,” beginning in Whole Foods and specialty markets in the Bay Area. It took off when, during a job interview at Google, Kara shared about her newfound interest in the beverage industry. One thing led to another, and Google soon became the largest “store” for Hint water at the time, serving the drink to its employees. As Google employees moved on to other jobs, many requested a steady supply of Hint water for their new offices, further catapulting Hint's brand. Kara spent Hint's early marketing dollars on consumer education rather than flashy billboards or TV commercials. She wanted consumers to taste the difference and, in a world dominated by sugar-laden or diet drinks, it wasn't cheap to educate consumers about a brand new product category. While the direct-to-consumer business model often struggles to balance profit with shipping costs, Kara struck a deal early on with FedEx. This has made it possible for Hint to reach customers outside of local grocery stores and retailers. Kara never set out to challenge large soda brands — she genuinely wanted to help consumers make healthier choices. “I felt like if I could get more people to know about this, it would actually help them get healthy.” Featured Challenger

75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. At any given moment, the vast majority of America is walking around at a level of hydration that doesn't enable their peak level of focus and performance. John Sherwin is here to change that as the cofounder of Hydrant, a powdered hydration mix with nearly three times the electrolytes as a regular sports drink. “I'd been thinking about hydration in general for a long time before I got started with Hydrant,” he says. After studying biology at Oxford University, John moved to the U.S. and started working in Silicon Valley — but he didn't feel great during that time. Despite drinking tons of water every day, he struggled to feel healthy and find a strong work-life balance. That's when he remembered the powdered electrolyte packets medical students downed at university. They tasted horrible, but it spurred an idea. Using his background in biology, John created a formula for a powdered drink mix to rival the typical sports drink. (You'll need to listen to the episode for the full scientific breakdown.)After raising a round of seed funding from the Sixers Innovation Lab, John worked with an agency to turn his coastal brand from “hipster” to the fun, approachable “for-everyone brand” that you see today. Later, Hydrant brought creative talent in-house. Agencies are helpful when you're still getting your footing, but John's in-house creative team was “instrumental in shepherding the brand to where it is now, and continuing to elevate and differentiate it.”In an oversaturated market of sugary drinks claiming to be healthy, Hydrant is pioneering the true hydration market with its science-backed, data-driven formula designed by actual scientists. What's John's ultimate goal? “To be the most trusted beverage company in America.” Prentice's Takeaway

Did you know lawns are the third largest crop in the U.S.? Impressive, right? What about the fact that people put five times more pesticide on their lawns than what's used per acre on industrial farms? Also impressive, but in the worst way possible. Meet Coulter Lewis. He's here to (literally) uproot an antiquated industry that hasn't changed since the 1950s with his all-natural, sustainable, science-backed and customized lawn care company Sunday.  “This is a space that is almost like a time capsule on the shelf,” Coulter observes. With so few lawn care brands to choose from, he saw a clear market gap — even though most consumers didn't realize it.“[Lawn care] is one of those ‘last-to-change' categories where people's values and needs are so misaligned with the way it's done,” he says. After all, why would you purchase a house with a luscious yard for your kids to play on, and then load it up with toxic pesticides? Instead of changing one or two things about current lawn care products, Coulter changed everything. He honed in on consumer education, letting potential customers know his product was effective and 100% safe for their families and pets. Coulter combined his mechanical engineering background and design experience to create one powerhouse of a lawn care product, teaming up with Frank Rossi, a turf expert and Sunday's current Chief Science Officer, along the way. Together, they created formulas for different fertilizer blends and determined the type of data they needed and how they could act on the data they received. As for branding, Sunday didn't get any help from an agency. It followed simplicity as a guiding principle, aiming to inspire confidence but also stick out from the competitors that so often featured warning labels and fine print.As a challenger brand, Sunday is “hyper-nimble.” The team's quickness to adjust and adapt makes it a revolutionary force in the lawn care industry, transforming America's 40 million acres of lawn into healthy, beautiful land one yard at a time.   Prentice's Takeaway

Samira is one of those entrepreneurs who always knew she wanted to create a company — she just didn't realize it would be one challenging the giants in the toilet paper industry. After quitting her job as an auditor at a large accounting firm, she started a chain of nail salons in Los Angeles called Bellacures. She sold Bellacures after 10 years and almost immediately started thinking about her next venture. She had her sights set on a product-based business. While researching ideas, she saw opportunities in the toilet paper space. Though the industry is dominated by a few major competitors that own large percentages of the market share, Samira saw huge potential. In April 2019, she launched No.2, a toilet paper made from eco-friendly bamboo that would appeal to environmentally conscious consumers. The brand name draws inspiration from the nostalgia of No. 2 pencils and Chanel No. 5 perfume — Samira wanted the brand to feel chic yet playful — the name also references the idea of making a “number two.” She worked with a branding agency to bring No.2 to life visually to ensure the brand's voice captures a “no-nonsense tone.”Proctor & Gamble and other heavyweights in the space spend billions on advertising. No.2 has gone a different route to reach consumers and hasn't invested in traditional advertising or paid social efforts. The company's marketing focuses on connecting with people — Samira works with a PR firm to earn placements in “media publications where people are actually reading articles and learning about the product” and swears by collaborating with social media influencers. Though the product is relatively new, it's starting to resonate with some consumers. Samira says the company has conducted surveys, which shos that previous Charmin users have switched to No.2 because “they want something that's different that they can just commit to and know that they're making a choice that's good for the environment.”Featured Challenger

Jon Pearce is working towards building a better healthcare system. Twelve years ago he saw a broken healthcare system and wanted to fix it, so he co-founded Zipnosis —  which today offers a white label, B2B software platform enabling healthcare providers to offer asynchronous care in just a few minutes.  He didn't set out to be an entrepreneur, and he definitely didn't see himself getting into the medical field. But his plans changed after interning at a healthcare technology startup. That's where he noticed cracks in the healthcare system and saw the cell phone as “the clinic of the future”. Initially, Zipnosis was created as a direct-to-consumer company. It offered $25 virtual visits to residents of Minnesota in 2010, but the concept never really took off. The technology and assumptions were correct, Jon says, but the consumer market just wasn't ready for this service yet. Zipnosis pivoted from B2C to B2B after a large health system contacted him to inquire about licensing the platform. Jon says that move wouldn't have happened without the relative success of a competing service launched a few months after Zipnosis entered the market. “As much as I hated what HealthPartners and Virtuwell had built, it actually was a lifeline and a reason why we had Fairview calling in sort of an ironic way,” he explains.Zipnosis is now in 53 healthcare systems throughout the country. “I think competition is good. It definitely sharpens swords.” Prentice's Takeaway

Fran Dunaway has been an activist her entire life. Whether she was working for a nonprofit advocating for LGBTQ rights or pushing for anti-discrimination legislation, social change is in her blood. Now, as the co-founder and CEO of TomboyX, Fran makes all-inclusive, gender-neutral clothing and undergarments.“Being part of the LGBTQ community, my wife and I have always been outsiders … so it was important that we [were] inclusive in everything that we did [with TomboyX],” Fran says on this episode of The Empowered Challenger.TomboyX was born when Fran faced a simple challenge: She wanted a nice shirt for work — something with high-quality, vibrant patterns typical in menswear but with a tailored, woman's fit. Unfortunately, that proved impossible to find.So Fran had what she describes as a “rainbow unicorn moment” — she realized there was an entire group of people who had never been seen or recognized within the fashion industry, and she felt “a responsibility to [her] community” to recognize them in a compassionate way.It started with a name that Fran felt truly resonated with her target market: TomboyX. From there, an agency out of Boulder, Colorado helped “bring the brand's voice to life.”In 2013, Fran and her wife, Naomi, created a Kickstarter campaign to get their shirts into production. They raised $76,000 in 30 days, making them realize there was “a bigger opportunity than just shirts.”TomboyX needed financial backing, but finding investors upfront wasn't easy for a niche lesbian underwear company. After two rounds of funding, they're now backed by a venture capital B Corp that's “all about challenger brands and making a difference in the world.”Going from not knowing “a knit from a woven” to having TomboyX's clothing in Nordstrom, Fran built one powerhouse of a brand.Prentice's Takeaway

As a self-proclaimed travel junkie and risk taker, Jeremy Stewart knew he had the risk tolerance to become an entrepreneur. While looking for business ideas, Jeremy and his wife considered five different consumer goods, but kept coming back to flip flops. They're both flip flop wearers and, after spending five years in Indonesia where Jeremy worked as a political consultant, they went to a local store for a new pair and realized nothing about the casual, open-toe shoes had changed — there was zero innovation. In a sea of uncomfortable black and brown flip flops, Jeremy saw an opportunity. He hired a focus group moderator, gave him a script and sat behind the glass for three days listening to college students answer questions about their flip flop purchasing habits and perceptions. The main point of contention with flip flops on the market? The little piece that goes between your toes — it's uncomfortable, and can take months to break in — sometimes it was even a bloody experience. So Jeremy set out to end “the war on toes.” He hired an engineer who worked for Teva to design a memory foam toe piece that mitigated the typical breaking in period for flip flops, and it was truly a game changer. On the marketing side, instead of being “steeped in the surf culture,” Hari Mari, which is Dallas based, positions itself as more of a lifestyle brand. This kept the brand from being pigeonholed into one retail category, like surf shops, and instead helped the flip flops land on shelves of both local boutiques and large retailers like Zappos. As a premium brand, Hari Mari also found a sweet spot with pricing. “[W]e saw, you know, 500 brands producing flip-flops from 50 bucks and below,” Jeremy says, while there were just five  companies making flip flops for more than $90. “And what we really saw was this gap — this under-serviced gap between 50 and 90, where literally no one was playing.”From 30 stores in three states to nearly 1,000 stores in 49 states within eight years, Hari Mari's comfortable, high-quality flip flop has challenged the casual footwear industry. “For us, it's creating a really good product that is actually different than what's next to it.” ##Prentice's Takeaway

Work happy hours. Lunch at a brewery. Holiday parties. Dinner with friends. Imagine each of these scenarios. Now picture them without any alcohol. It's nearly impossible, right? For those who partake in the occasional drink, having fun often seems to go hand-in-hand with alcohol — and it can be pretty exclusionary for those who don't drink for one reason or another. Jeff Stevens, founder of the WellBeing Brewing Company, is working to change that. Jeff spent years marketing top beer brands before founding WellBeing Brewing in 2017. The company is the first craft brewery in the country dedicated to brewing non-alcoholic beer.  Jeff has been in recovery from the age of 24. As a self-described “non-alcoholic,” Wellbeing Brewing scratched his own itch. But he's realized there are many different people who want a great-tasting beverage without alcohol. “There are lots of people who don't drink. There are lots of people who aren't drinking at a particular time —  that particular night, this particular round — and to have some thoughtful beverages for them just makes complete sense,” Jeff says on this episode of The Empowered Challenger. To create appealing non-alcoholic options that look and sound cool, Jeff was inspired by the “fun, funky aesthetic” on Cherokee Street in St. Louis. Bold names for beverages — like its dark amber beverage “Hellraiser” — add to the appeal. Jeff has also worked hard to ensure the drinks actually taste good — not so easy for non-alcoholic beers. He says, “We all want to try something better than O'Doul's.” Prentice's Takeaway

“Constant evolution brands are inventors at heart.” In part 5 of the 5-part series “5 Personalities of an Empowered Challenger,” Prentice digs into brands that are able to transcend product categories because they are trusted and respected by consumers. When customers trust in your brand, they'll follow. For these ‘what's next brands,' such as Virgin, Shinola, and Yeti, their products may change, but the quality doesn't. Listen in. Resources:Prentice's LinkedInDoor No. 3 Website

Ben Witte is the founder and CEO of NYC-based startup Recess, the CBD drink that aims to help people feel calm, focused, and creative despite the world around them.Just as people associate Redbull with energy and Gatorade with high-intensity sports, Ben is on a mission to have consumers associate Recess' CBD infused sparkling drinks with creativity. Hear why he believes CBD is the caffeine of the 21st Century, and how the CBD category is expanding.Prentice's TakeawayI love seeing brands that say, ‘To hell with it. We're doing it differently.' Check out their Instagram page and you'll see it's pull vs. push marketing. Ben created a brand experience online that's so compelling, you can't help but notice. ##Show HighlightsBarack Obama and ‘Calm, Cool, Collected'Startup life What is CBD? How can you use it?Balance and calmness effect Anxiety economy ‘Taking a recess'Caffeine and the beverage industry Education process Telling the story of why Recess exists Brand development of RecessTurning flavors into personalitiesLayers of the brandProductive and creative Distribution and regulatory clarity around CBD COVID impactResourcesBen's TwitterBen's LinkedInBen's InstagramRecess InstagramRecess TwitterRecess Facebook

Compulsive Servitude has everything to do with overdelivering to the extent that it becomes the definition of your brand. In part 4 of the 5-part series “5 Personalities of an Empowered Challenger,” Prentice discusses brands who serve with intention (think Trader Joe's, The Ritz Carlton, Nordstrom, and Urban Stems) by empowering their employees to make great decisions and taking customer service to a whole new level. It's not enough to just smile while answering the phone anymore. Brands that aren't goliath need to differentiate themselves. How can you empower your staff to make the customer experience more memorable? Listen in. Resources:Prentice's LinkedInDoor No. 3 Website

We've recently experienced a shift from stereotypical models in lacy bras to real, strong women of all shapes and sizes wearing bras that not only look great but also fit great. And that's where undergarment disruptor ThirdLove comes in.A self-described power shopper, Veronique Powell, Vice President of Operations and Strategy at ThirdLove, discovered the brand while shopping for a bra herself.She joined ThirdLove in 2015 when the company was employing just 9 people and helped scale it to around 200 people today.Listen in as Veronique discusses her passion for inclusivity, and how she helped make ThirdLove one of the most inclusive underwear brands in America.Plus, hear Veronique's take on going after Victoria's Secret. Prentice's TakeawayThirdLove is every bit a Lightning Rod brand. They're willing to go on the attack to protect their core beliefs and values (like when they went after Victoria's Secret). It's no longer a risky PR move to speak up. Consumers value authenticity and rise up to support brands that align with their values. Show HighlightsVeronique's experience at Gap and moving to a bra startupThirdLove's half sizes and fit technology How does one confidently buy a bra online? ThirdLove's Fit Finder quiz tool Collecting data to improve customer experienceBra hooks and agingPrice point vs. frequency of buying a new braPost-purchase marketing messaging Growing the tribe of new customersTry before buying Use a hybrid mix of in-house and agency workSponsoring shows on Hulu (Mrs. America)Importance of half sizes Victoria's Secret and the infamous NYT letterCOVID impactResourcesVeronique's LinkedInThirdLove FacebookThirdLove TwitterThirdLove Instagram

“If anyone can have it, I don't want it.” Fostering rejection helps challenger brands kick ass, and this week, Prentice is discussing Part 3 of this 5-part series. Listen in as Prentice explains why challenger brands aren't afraid to lose fans, and why a bigger audience doesn't always mean your brand is getting more love. What small doors can you shut so big ones can open? How can you grow your devoted tribe? You don't want to miss this Prentice's Corner episode. Resources:Prentice's LinkedInDoor No. 3 Website

Rick Elder, President of Beyond Clothing, served in the US Army, and later was a supplier for the military, where he spent 17 years developing clothing for US Special Ops. Rick is also known as a project officer for the team that developed the protective combat uniform. Listen in as Rick discusses his journey leading Beyond, a direct-to-consumer apparel line for everyday adventures that can keep you dry while wading through water and warm while hiking in the snowy mountains. Spoiler alert: This isn't your standard, puffy jacket. Prentice's TakeawayTo have a brand today, you have to truly embrace being a media company first.Show HighlightsSlowing down due to COVID-19US Army serviceSpecial ops equipmentRick's journey with Beyond ClothingDifferentiation: D2CWho Beyond targetsAllow the experience to take the forefront, not the productFoster rejectionConsistent messaging that resonatesNo buzzwordsMedia is generated in-houseRick became a photographer so he didn't have to hire one for marketingMarketing = fashionBrand, web, productNo brand has time for anyone to be confusedUnmarketingCOVID-19 impact and SOPsResourcesRichard's LinkedInBeyond Clothing FacebookBeyond Clothing YouTubeBeyond Clothing TwitterBeyond Clothing Instagram

A “Lightning Rod Personality” is one of the 5 traits your brand can leverage, and today, Prentice is diving into Part 2 of this 5-part series. “There has to be a better way.”In this episode of Prentice's Corner, Prentice is digging into why heretical brands are almost always born out of frustration. Prentice discusses heretical brands like Netflix, Revolution Foods, and Epic Provisions, and challenges how you can redefine perspectives and tell innovative stories within your company. Resources:Prentice's LinkedInDoor No. 3 Website

Back in 2010, Jaime Schmidt, founder of Schmidt's Naturals, started making natural products in her Portland kitchen. She was pregnant at the time and her goal was to create a healthy deodorant that not only smelled great but had clean ingredients, and actually worked. Listen in as Jaime discusses her entrepreneurial journey - from making batches of 20 deodorants on her kitchen stovetop to eventually storming the shelves of CVS, Walmart, Costco, and Whole Foods. Plus, you'll hear about Jaime and her husband Chris' new ventures with Supermaker, an inclusive media company built for makers, startups, and creators; and Color, an investment fund that supports entrepreneurs largely excluded from the venture financing system.Show HighlightsUsing clean products while pregnantSelling out of mason jars at farmer's markets  Unique packaging and fragrance namesIn-house manufacturing on her stovetop DTC money to put back into the business Limited edition scents to appeal to customers‘Say yes now then figure out how'Heritage brands watching Schmidt's Selling Schmidt's Jaime's new book, Supermaker: Crafting Business on Your Own TermsCreator of Supermaker and Color with husband Chris Supporting Schmidt's international expansion COVID-19 impactResourcesJaime WebsiteJaime's TwitterJaime's InstagramSupermakerColor

A “Lightning Rod Personality” is one of the 5 traits your brand can leverage, and today, Prentice is diving into Part 1 of this 5-part series. Listen in as Prentice discusses examples of real-life lightning rod campaigns, companies, and people (think Lady Gaga in her meat dress at the MTV Video Music Awards). These types of companies and people are magnetic and honest, and they certainly aren't following the herd. You may love them, or you may hate them, but you'll never forget them.What's your brand's meat dress? Wear it proudly when the time is right.  Resources:Prentice's LinkedInDoor No. 3 Website

Prentice's TakeawaysMany successful, modern-day challenger brands have figured out the formula for what I call  ‘instant heritage brand' status, which gives companies, like Cubitts, an incredible advantage. Heritage brands ooze of credibility. They're authentic, trusted, beloved, and have compelling stories to tell. If you're in the midst of defining or re-inventing your brand ethos, try digging into heritage brands (like Jeep, Levi, Swiss Army, and Kiehl's) and I guarantee you'll find some alignment and inspiration. Show HighlightsPersonal passion for eyewearFixing a broken, stagnant modelModernizing the craftsmanship Melding fashion and function Eye examsSmall and boutique-like vs. Warby ParkerReducing wasteKing's Cross history Timeless frame stylesBrand voice Storytelling (but doing it with a ‘filthy cackle')ResourcesTom's LinkedInCubitts FacebookCubitts TwitterCubitts Instagram

Differentiation - Have something unique that you can lean into that's all your own.Fascination - Never waste an opportunity to be memorable.Consistency - Resist the temptation to chase shiny objects or overcomplicate your message.Resources:Prentice's LinkedInDoor No. 3 Website

Prentice's TakeawaysSome of the best challenger thinking is when companies steal ideas from other industries. Example: Carvana and now, Park Place PaymentsSometimes it isn't so much about the product being superior - if the experience is superior, that's how you win in a commodity business. Show HighlightsCredit card processing industry Women coming back into the workforce ‘Rolls Royce' of customer service Used car sales ‘Crazy Eddie' mentality Training account executives Flexible work schedules Work-life balance 7 slices of life Marketing/PR for a startup Low attrition COVID-19 and at-home, side hustle opportunities ResourcesSam's FacebookSam's LinkedInSam's InstagramSam's TwitterSam's WebsitePark Place Payments WebsitePark Place Payments LinkedInPark Place Payments FacebookPark Place Payments TwitterPark Place Payments Instagram

Resources:Antonelli's Cheese Shop WebsiteAntonelli's Cheese Shop FacebookKendall's LinkedIn

Resources:Prentice's LinkedInDoor No. 3 Website

Prentice's TakeawaysThis is a great example of capitalism hard at work. Tony's Chocolonely is doing things our government can't - or won't.You don't have to have a Sarah McLachlan vibe to evangelize a heavy, heart-wrenching story. The right voice and the right brand tone can create a movement. Show Highlights0 profit, 100% impact100% slave-free chocolate = end goalDominating Dutch chocolate marketInvestigating child slaves in cocoa industrySmall company, huge missionExpanding to a global brandStore locations (Whole Foods)Zero paid media policy Packaging, Mission, Portfolio of recipesChunky, big bars Culture and core valuesConsumers are equals Public relations Crazy about chocolate, serious about people‘Tony-ified' culture How COVID-19 is affecting business ResourcesYnzo's Twitter: https://twitter.com/ynzoYnzo's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ynzovanzantenTony's Chocolonely: https://tonyschocolonely.com/us/enTony's Chocolonely Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TonysChocolonelyUS/Tony's Chocolonely Twitter: https://twitter.com/TonysChocoUS/Tony's Chocolonely Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tonyschocolonely_us/

Show Highlights:Only put out messaging that's aligned with our new social distancing realities. Only be in touch when the message is of substance.Re-work your creative messaging. Don't ask for too much. Be helpful!Move faster. Resources:Prentice's LinkedInDoor No. 3 Website

Resources:Ben's LinkedInBanger's WebsiteBanger's TwitterBanger's InstagramBanger's Facebook

Prentice's TakeawaysRarely do entrepreneurs turn and look back down the mountain to enjoy the view of the valley. After we ended the recording, Simon thanked me profusely for how this interview caused him to reflect on how far he and Karma Cola had come since the beginning. The best thing you can do to serve your brand is to remember why you got into this in the first place. What giants did you intend to topple when you got started on this adventure?In the case of Simon and Karma Cola, their success comes by taking the long view and continuing to hyper-focus on the company's founding mission as they continue to evolve and grow to expanding markets. Show HighlightsFairtrade banana demand VirtuesHow do you turn something into a force of good?Brands and perception Fairtrade cola Impact of Karma Cola Karma Cola Foundation and scholarships Duty to support one another What are the guidelines for ‘ethical and organic'?Fairtrade auditing Ebola crisis Branding details Brands need to arm consumers with storiesLemmy's Life User-generated content “Walking the talk”ResourcesFollow Simon on TwitterConnect with Simon on LinkedInKarma Cola's Website