The Growth Show

Welcome to Another Bite hosted by Jorie Munroe, Ariel Boswell, Leslie Green, and Jon Dick. Each week, Another Bite breaks down the latest & greatest pitches from Shark Tank. Relive old favorites like Squatty Potty, Pavlok, Mensch on a Bench, Ionic Ear, that golf club you pee into, and recent favorites likes Kent and Woobles. We'll cover why folks were successful (or why they weren't), go to market, social strategy, branding, pricing, investments and much more. It's safe to say, you might even learn a thing or two for your own business in the process. New episodes start November 15th. So take the bait and follow & subscribe now! Another Bite is a proud part of the HubSpot Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Shake Up explores the decisions that dared to be different and the leaders who are shaking up their industries. Hosted by Alexis Gay (Comedian, formerly Biz Ops, Patreon) & Brianne Kimmel (Founder, Worklife VC). New episodes each week starting August 3rd.

Kevin Kelly is a futurist and co-founder of Wired Magazine. His latest article looks at augmented reality's role in our future lives, in a world he calls the Mirror World. Kevin talks about how business leaders can be better futurists, and why it's not about being right but being ready.

Following the death of George Floyd, Minnesota Freedom Fund found itself in the international spotlight. Over 900 thousand donations, from around the globe, came pouring in. And celebrity endorsements from folks like Mark Ruffalo guided their followers on how to help support protesters. As Greg Lewin quickly found out, he needed to not only scale operations at Minnesota Freedom Fund fast but maintain the integrity of its important mission to end discriminatory, coercive, and oppressive jailing.

On a global scale, women only hold 29 percent of senior management positions. Not to make any sweeping assumptions, but that’s a far cry from gender equality. But 29 percent is also the highest percentage ever recorded in that category. And it’s thanks to folks like Mia Perdomo and Andrea de la Piedra -- the co-founders and co-CEOs of Aequales. Their consulting firm provides tools for closing gender gaps in the workplace in Latin America.

Marcus Baskerville created Black is Beautiful -- a collaborative beer initiative amongst the brewing community and its customers -- in an attempt to bring awareness to the injustices that many people of color face daily. And you can now find this open source beer at 1,158 breweries, in 50 states, and 21 countries. And As someone who has personally dealt with the abuse of power by the police, this recent turmoil the country is facing has hit home for Marcus.

If you have a dog, then you know BarkBox. It’s customizable monthly subscription boxes are your dog’s favorite pieces of mail. Co-founder Matt Meeker believes the secret to the company’s success is putting every four-legged (and two-legged) friend first. Matt talks about how a pig, yes a pig, redefined the company’s personalization policies and why BARK has invested so heavily in customer service.

Rodney Williams founded LISTNR with one thing in mind: simplicity. He saw that the way we buy items involves too many steps. And it could all be solved through the use of sound. LISTNR uses ultrasonic sound to transfer data. That means truly contactless transactions -- be it at the coffee shop, the drive through, or your next concert. Remember concerts? Register for INBOUND 2020: Inbound.com/register

Andrew Rea started Binging with Babish almost by accident. And nearly 8M subscribers later, he’s grown it into one of the biggest shows on YouTube. His secret ingredient? His audience. Andrews talks about the show’s steady feed of audience insights and opens up about his own struggles with mental health and recovering from COVID-19.

Kim Crowder is a consultant, whose expertise covers diversity, equity, and inclusion. In particular, she’s a corporate anti-racist trainer. To say the least, Kim has been busy lately. The recent protests in the US that started back on May 26 in Minneapolis in response to the death of George Floyd sparked a movement that also had companies taking a hard look at policy bias and racism in their own workplaces. But to make real, lasting change, it all starts at the top.

Nick Quah is almost synonymous with podcasts. His newsletter Hot Pod gives a weekly rundown on all things podcasts. And he recently partnered with LAist Studios to create his first podcast called Servant of Pod. And yes, it’s about podcasts. Wait, have we mentioned podcasts? Nick talks with Meghan about what went into creating his new show, how businesses are in a unique position to determine the future of podcasting, and why his gut questions whether branded podcasts should exist at all.

Tinashe Blanchet is the founder of The Learning Lab, a New Orleans-based non-profit organization and education space that hosts two summer camps. But given the need for social distancing, Tinashe had to quickly move both camps to fully virtual. She talks about how, for the safety of everyone at the camps, she stood in opposition of local government recommendations. And Tinashe explains why the work being done today will help shape the way technology is used in classrooms in the future.

Steve Blank is not a prophet. But as one of the minds behind the highly influential Lean Startup movement, when Steve starts to look at the future of how we do business, people listen. Steve returns to explain why The Lean Startup is even more essential than ever for businesses right now as they work to not only survive the pandemic but set themselves up to thrive coming out of it.

The Coolidge Corner Theater opened in 1933 during the Great Depression and has become a landmark in the city of Boston. But as non-essential businesses were ordered to close, it left many in the film industry wondering: Is it curtains for the indie theater system? Katherine Tallman, executive director at Coolidge Corner Theater, talks about pivoting online with Virtual Screening Room and whether she sees on-demand studio releases as the future of our moviegoing experience.

Bookshop is an online platform where you can buy books from local and independent bookstores. But founder Andy Hunter never imagined how quickly he’d need to scale the company after only launching in January. That’s because what bookstores were experimenting with in February became what they’d need to survive in March. Andy talks about how he’s not only taking on Amazon, but how Bookshop is creating virtual bookseller communities that are reflective and even larger than their physical ones.

Danielle Mullen is the owner of Semicolon Bookstore & Gallery -- Chicago’s only black woman-owned bookstore. She’s worked tirelessly to build a community and improve literacy in the city.  As the current crisis closed bookstores around the country, Danielle moved to online sales. But she wasn’t about to handover her store’s keys to the same online giant that’s put so many other independent bookstores out of business. Instead, she found a new platform.

Ryan Spaccavento, founder of Coffee on Cue, saw an opportunity for an underserved market of coffee drinkers -- business subscriptions and live events. But as companies closed its doors and live events locked its gates, Ryan found his businesses grinding to a halt. So he moved the company online, sold surplus beans to the general public, and distributed fresh coffee to virtual event goers' homes.

Luke Milton of Los Angeles’ top fitness center Training Mate knew he needed to act quickly. His three gym locations were ordered to close and his entire staff’s livelihoods hung in the balance of uncertainty. Luke not only moved his gym online within hours, but he brought with it the sense of community that’s won Training Mate so much acclaim. And it's this power of community that’s affirmed his faith in humanity.

Listoke Distillery is a gin and distillation school located just north of Dublin, Ireland. Owner Bronagh Conlon, herself a former healthcare worker and survivor of breast cancer, has a unique perspective on the need to protect essential workers and the general public. Within hours, she converted the company’s gin distillery to produce hand sanitizer. Bronagh talks about how she made that decision and what’s most important for leaders to focus on right now.

Piera Gelardi founded Refinery29 as a catalyst for women to claim their power. And today, she leads a digital media and entertainment empire. Piera talks about the important role her customers play in Refinery29 and 29Rooms, and how being a new mother impacts her creativity.

When Kat Schneider set out to raise funding for her company Ritual, she was four months pregnant. And she was given the choice: Start a company. Or start a family. You cannot do both. Kat talks about the early struggles in securing funding, how the mysteries behind vitamins made her launch the company, and why women’s health is essential to the company’s focus.

Ryan Harms and his Union Wine Company were the toast of Oregon. They’d done something so crazy, they figured it was only a matter of time until the novelty wore off. Ryan and his team were responsible for putting wine in a can. And people went crazy for it. But just as things were going well for Ryan and the business, his personal life was falling apart. Ryan shares the mistakes he made along the way, and offers insight into what other first time founders can do to manage their own work/life balance.

Whether you prefer glamping, treehouses, or the trusty old tent, camping is all about getting outside. But navigating the trail to book public or private camping spots is a hassle. So Alyssa Ravasio founded Hipcamp, an online booking site connecting campers with landowners. Alyssa talks about the strength and confidence she found in camping at a young age and the three questions she needed to answer before deciding whether or not to found Hipcamp.

Uber. Amazon. Airbnb. Today’s top platforms all understand the power of connection. And Geoffrey Parker believes the greatest exchange in value comes from companies that put their customers first. Geoffrey’s latest work, “Platform Revolution: How Networked Markets Are Transforming the Economy and How to Make Them Work for You,” charts out the future of platforms and reveals how they will change the lives and careers of millions.

Let’s be honest. There’s no such thing as a magic pill. But the vitamin industry sure makes it seem like a miracle cure is right there inside every bottle. Akash Shah co-founded Care/of, a subscription vitamin company, to make personalized healthy habits simple and transparent. He talks about how Care/of generates word of mouth marketing and where companies can build more trust with their customers.

There’s a new trend in office design. And its common enemy? The open office floor plan. Phone booths that once littered our sidewalks have been given new life inside our modern offices. Producer Matt Brown joins us to break down why so many companies are answering the call to install private rooms in the office.

You know the drill. Quick brush in the morning, neglect the afternoon floss, and win your week with a second brush a few nights a week. Changing habits is hard, especially when it comes to dental care. Simon Enever founded Quip to fix oral care. He talks about the role of messaging in the early years, how customers are helping influence new products, and the company’s recent foray into selling offline.

Artificial Intelligence. Automation. Bots. Technology has disrupted nearly every aspect of our daily lives. But author Kate O’Neill asks the question, are we steering that technology to create the best future, for the most people? In her latest work “Tech Humanist: How Data and Technology Shape the Future of Meaningful Human Experiences,” Kate explores how we can create more meaningful, intentional, and integrated experiences that better align with businesses and people.

[Mini Episode] Topo Designs president Jedd Rose believes the outdoor apparel design deserves better. And this week, producer Matt Brown helps us unpack how the company designs for urban and outdoor life. Jedd unpacks the company’s design principles and tells us why the best outdoor gear has more to do with memories than fabrics.

Hims founder Andrew Dudum knew that less than 10 percent of men feel comfortable talking about their looks and health with their doctor. But even getting people to the doctor meant conflicting work schedules, travel, and countless more headaches along the way. So Andrew decided to not only destigmatize men’s self-care, but make access to prescriptions, products and medical advice easier and more affordable.

When Ed Razek, the CMO of Victoria’s Secret, made disparaging comments about Heidi Zak’s company ThirdLove, she stood up for herself and all women. Her response? An Open Letter to Victoria’s Secret in The New York Times. We talk with Heidi about the open letter, the aftermath that followed, and share the story of lingeries’ most interesting challenger brand.

For most shoppers, fair trade, organic, non-GMO products means paying a premium. And the amount of choices? Endless. But conscious consumerism doesn't have to equal uninformed decisions and an empty bank account. Brandless, which charges $3 for a variety of products, is changing this equation. Founder Tina Sharkey talks about her mission to democratize access to high-quality goods, redefine what brand means, and scale the Brandless business alongside its community.

Culture happens. Whether you plan for it or not, all companies have a culture. An no one knows more about how culture works than New York Times’s best-selling author Daniel Coyle. Daniel talks about his latest work, The Culture Code, where he goes inside the world’s most successful organizations - Pixar, San Antonio Spurs, SEAL Team Six, and more - to find out what makes them tick.

It was the largest offer in Shark Tank history. Mark Cuban offered Arum Kang $30 million for her dating app Coffee Meets Bagel. But she and her sisters swiped left, and that decision made them the targets of keyboard cowboys who labeled them “foolish” and “greedy”. There was a specter of self-doubt, a discovery of the company’s real values, and a final rise above all the noise. Three years later, Kang feels zero regret for her decision to pass on the Shark’s tantalizing offer.

Davis Smith grew up like every other kid -- spearfishing piranhas in the Amazon, eating wild coconuts for snacks, and taking family adventures around Central and South America. During these early years, Davis also saw the abject poverty that others lived in first-hand. So he founded Cotopaxi, an outdoor brand committed to alleviating poverty and empowering communities through entrepreneurship.

Joe De Sena founded Spartan with a single purpose: to change people’s lives. But growing the company has been the toughest race of Joe’s life. Its meant persevering through a near death experience, pivoting after a decade of failing business models, and setting one of the most ambitious growth goals ever.

[News] Amazon has officially announced the locations for the company’s second headquarters -- Crystal City, Virginia, and Long Island City, New York. But with the announcement comes controversy. HubSpot’s resident news writer Amanda Zantal-Wiener joins us to break it all down.

If there’s one thing everyone can agree on, it’s how much they loathe insurance companies. And yet, despite every technological revolution, the insurance industry continues to operate basically the same way it did in the Middle Ages. Dan Schreiber, co-founder of Lemonade, saw the fundamental wrong of insurance: If people don’t get paid for claims, insurance companies make more money. So he aligned the company with its customers and created a bot to make the process surprisingly more human.

[Mini Episode] The robots have arrived. Welcome! First stop: the kitchen. So we asked, is that really all that bad a thing? We sit down with robot restaurateur Michael Farid of Spyce to hear about why standing over hot stoves, endlessly stirring, chopping, and plating food might just be a thing of the past.

After founding and stepping away from Moz, Rand Fishkin finds himself back in the startup world. Only this time, he’s doing things differently. In this live recording from INBOUND 2018, we talk to The Wizard of Moz about why he now refuses venture capital, how he’s helping SparkToro grow better, and what it’s like to play Dungeons & Dragons with Anita Sarkeesian.

Beauty is a $450 billion industry. But traditionally, communication on beauty routines and products came from companies, not other customers. That is, until a little blog named Into the Gloss was launched. Using customer insights, the blog launched Glossier -- it’s own line of beauty products. Ali Weiss tells us how Glossier is giving the makeup industry got a much-needed makeover.

[Mini Episode] Take a look at your Instagram feed. You likely follow a few different influencers. But look a bit closer. Are each and every one of them human? Not if you’re one of the 1.5M followers of Lil’ Miquela. The rise in AI influencers might not be the stuff of nightmares or summer blockbusters, but it’s not that far off. Our producer Matthew Brown talks with Chris Detert of Influential about our human(less) future.