TrepTalks with Sushant

Andy Sartori, the founder of MealPro. Andy shares his entrepreneurial journey, which began with a passion for healthy eating and evolved into a successful e-commerce business that delivers nutritious meals to busy professionals and individuals with specific dietary needs. He discusses the strategic challenges and steps he took, including vertical integration, leveraging constraints, and focusing on customer retention over aggressive marketing. Discover Andy's insights on maintaining quality, managing logistics across the nation, and his cautious approach to adopting new technologies.

John Roman, founder of BattlBox, a monthly subscription service offering handpicked outdoor survival gear. John shares his entrepreneurial journey, detailing the inception of BattlBox, the strategies and tactics used to grow the business, and the significant milestones along the way. He also discusses the challenges of operating a subscription model, the importance of content and influencer marketing, and the lessons learned from his business experiences. Tune in to discover insights on building a thriving e-commerce brand, the evolution of BattlBox, and tips for aspiring entrepreneurs.

Lindzi Shanks, co-founder of XO Marshmallow, a gourmet marshmallow e-commerce company based in Chicago. Lindzi shares the fascinating journey of starting XO Marshmallow with just $200 and growing it into a multi-million dollar business. She delves into how the idea for custom-flavored marshmallows was born, the power of social media in their success, and their innovative products. Lindzi also discusses the challenges of scaling a food business, the importance of having the right people, and her vision for the company's future. Tune in for valuable insights and the inspiring story of entrepreneurship.

Craig Rabin, the founder of The AirHook, a patented travel convenience product. Craig shares his entrepreneurial journey, the challenges of creating and marketing The AirHook, and his pivot into becoming an 'invention coach.' Learn about the power of rapid prototyping, the importance of strong relationships, and the value of giving back. Craig also reveals insights into his successful crowdfunding campaigns, manufacturing hurdles, and future plans, including the upcoming third version of The AirHook and his free online course 'Vision 2 Invention

Ambrose Price, the co-founder of SKNMUSE, a premium skincare brand. Ambrose shares the entrepreneurial journey of creating SKNMUSE alongside his wife, the challenges faced, and the strategies used to grow the business. They discuss the unique aspects of their product line, focusing on natural ingredients and artisanal production. Ambrose also highlights their marketing efforts, including impactful partnerships, digital marketing strategies, and future growth plans. Tune in to learn valuable insights on building a successful skincare brand and navigating the competitive beauty industry.

Ben Sarrazin, founder of Yuba Bikes, a pioneering company on a mission to transform urban mobility through high-quality, eco-friendly cargo bikes. With a background in environmental science and a lifelong passion for cycling, Ben shares the story behind Yuba's creation and his vision for sustainable transportation. We explore the early challenges of building a cargo bike market, the complexities of manufacturing and supply chains, and the strategies that helped Yuba reach its customers. Ben offers valuable insights into product development, market targeting, and the entrepreneurial mindset—emphasizing the power of purpose-driven innovation and the importance of retaining control over your business.

Matilda and Kelly Belknap, co-founders of the Adventurist Backpack Company share their entrepreneurial journey, tracing the idea back to their first international backpacking trip. Observing market gaps between low-cost and high-end backpacks, they designed their own line that combined quality and affordability.Their travels also exposed them to global food insecurity, inspiring them to incorporate a social mission into their business. The conversation covers their design process, customer acquisition strategies, and the importance of building a strong brand identity. They emphasize the effectiveness of organic growth through press, social media, and personal customer service. The duo also discuss their future plans, including potential team expansion and continued dedication to social impact.

Illana Karcinski, co-founder of Fairytale Pet Care, a unique wedding day pet care company, discusses her entrepreneurial journey, revealing how the idea originated from observing a common problem in the hospitality industry where couples struggled with including their pets in their wedding. She explains how Fairytale Petcare offers a range of services including pet sitting, round trip transportation, attire rentals, and even a 'Dog of Honor' video service. Initially self-funded with minimal investment, Ilana and her co-founder grew the company by leveraging their hospitality and pet care experience. They later expanded through franchising after extensive research and trial. The conversation also covers their Shark Tank experience, which significantly boosted inquiries and led to new franchise openings. Fairytale Petcare emphasizes low startup costs, potential for scalability, and continuous quality service. They also focus on giving back by helping homeless animals find homes through various charitable programs. Ilana provides insights on social media strategies that have worked for them and the importance of asking for help and utilizing local entrepreneurial resources. Overall, the interview is a deep dive into how Fairytale Petcare not only meets a market need but also creates magical experiences for pets and owners alike.

Joseph Watson, Co-owner of K9 Sport Sack, shares the inspirational story of how rescuing a puppy named Daisy from a dumpster led him and his wife to create a product that allows people to bring their dogs along on cycling and hiking adventures. Throughout the interview, Joseph discusses the evolution of the K9 Sport Sack, the challenges they faced, the strategies they employed, and the passionate community of pet owners they serve. He also gives insights on their manufacturing process, the intricacies of product development, and the innovations his company is working on. Furthermore, he highlights the importance of hard work, honesty, and kindness in any entrepreneurial journey.

David Restiano, the founder and inventor of Sorsoap, a unique muscle scraping soap designed for use in the shower, integrating physical therapy into daily routines. David shares the story of how he came up with the idea during the COVID-19 pandemic while dealing with soreness from running. He discusses the development process, manufacturing challenges, Shark Tank experience, and the successful marketing strategies that have contributed to the company's growth. David emphasizes the importance of treating customers well and provides insights into his social media marketing approach, particularly on TikTok, which has been pivotal in driving sales. He wraps up by discussing the future plans for Sorsoap, including expanding into retail stores.

Richard Worsham of Janus Motorcycles,  shares his unique background in literature and architecture and details his journey from childhood fascination with vehicles to founding a motorcycle company. Janus Motorcycles specializes in handmade, classically styled, lightweight motorcycles with a strong focus on design, craftsmanship, and personalization.

Dr. Bobbi Peterson, an orthodontist and founder of Big Mouth Toothbrush, shares her journey from opening her own dental practice to becoming the first black female orthodontist to invent an electric toothbrush. She discusses the motivation behind her innovative product, which aims to improve periodontal health with a wider brush head and powerful sonic vibrations. Dr. Bobbi talks about her experiences with product development, marketing strategies, her appearance on Shark Tank, and the challenges and successes of running a dual career as a practicing orthodontist and entrepreneur.

Emily Kelly, founder of Land and She, a brand specializing in handmade art inspired by nature shares her journey as a self-taught illustrator and block printer, explaining how she transitioned from being an artist to embracing the role of an entrepreneur. Emily discusses the balance between creating art and managing a business, strategies for pricing her work, and the impact of digital tools like Shopify and Pinterest on her business. Emily also highlights the importance of contracts for artists, her marketing strategies, and her future vision of maintaining a solo operation while potentially outsourcing some tasks.

Troy Parker, founder of Goober Prints, shares his entrepreneurial journey from graphic design to establishing his own custom apparel printing business on Etsy. Troy discusses the initial challenges, like investing in the right printer, learning the intricacies of direct-to-garment (DTG) and direct-to-film (DTF) printing, and balancing a full-time job while growing a side hustle to meet significant life expenses. Troy also delves into his marketing strategies, including leveraging Etsy's platform and the importance of excellent customer service.

Hank Watt, founder of Nature's Wildberry, shares how he discovered a unique berry that changes sour flavors to sweet, offering a natural alternative for weight management and taste enhancement. Hank shares his entrepreneurial journey, from discovering the berry's benefits in 2013 to launching a freeze-dried version of the product to overcome its perishability and high costs. Hank also dive deep into business strategies, the challenges and successes of bringing an innovative product to market, Shark Tank experience, and the importance of customer trust and education.

Sarah Neal, founder of Instacake Cards, transformed her expertise in food technology and cake decorating into a thriving business that creates greeting cards with ingredients for 60-second celebration cakes. Despite launching just before the pandemic, her innovative idea gained traction as lockdowns drove demand for unique, shippable celebrations. Sarah shares insights on sourcing, manufacturing, trade show experiences, and her appearance on Dragon's Den, offering advice for entrepreneurs and plans for future growth.

 Julia Hankinson, founder of Crown Leatherworks, shares her story of starting her business while still in high school, her initial challenges, and her journey of growth using social media and platforms like Etsy and FAIRE. 

Doc Harmony, Founder of Healthy Energy Amazing Life (H.E.A.L) share insights on the demand and market for natural holistic wellness products and how different people find health and wellness with different healing modalities. Doc Harmony also shares her story of how she has grown her business over the last 30 years into B2C and B2B segments and lessons learned including building a team culture that empowers people to learn and make a difference to the bottom line as well as to their own lives. 

Dawn LaFontaine, founder of Cat in the Box, shares her story of starting a Cat Wool Toys and Playhouses products business out of love for cats and also to be more in control of her working life. Dawn shares some of the challenges she faced in creating her products and also the successes in getting traction from the market and a community of cat lovers that buy from her as well as how she is scaling her business.

Maria Lee Magaña, Founder of Bully Wags, shares the story of how she got inspiration for her dog leash and harness business from a challenge that she encountered while walking her own Bully. Maria shares her journey of developing and bringing the product to market, what has worked in terms of customer acquisition and her plans for being more breed-inclusive and expanding to new markets. 

Jocelyn Sheppard, founder of Appalachian Botanical shares the story of how she is utilizing reclaimed coal mining land in West Virginia to grow Lavender and build a natural personal grooming brand while creating jobs for marginalized people in the local community. Jocelyn shares her lessons in scaling business through B2B channels, importance of branding, and making a difference in her community through her business.

 Louise Rice, founder of Strapsicle, shares her story of creating a Kindle Strap while on her maternity leave to enable easy reading experience and to prevent the device from accidently falling. Louise shares her lessons in gaining traction early on, success with selling in the US on Amazon, her efforts to scale the business globally, as well as a strong focus on building a brand. 

Adam Baker of SodaPup shares his experiences in applying business principles learned from successful career in the footwear and apparel industry (Nike, Crocs etc.) to the pet industry. Adam shares his lessons in growing the business through strategic partnerships and contracts to pay for expensive moulds for his products as well as getting distribution and brand building. 

Kristy Bickmeyer of Twinkle Toes Nanny Agency, shares how her entrepreneurial mindset enabled her to start a Nanny Agency and disrupt the traditional contracting and payment model. Kristy has been able to scale her business with a franchise model and is utilizing a custom software solution to streamline the booking and payment process.

Young and Josh Kim of Ellison + Young share the story of successfully transitioning from running a 10 store retail fashion and jewellery chain to an online wholesale Fashion and Lifestyle brand after COVID pandemic closures. They share how they have applied the lessons from their retail experience to create a strong supply chain, utilize multiple sales channels, as well as provide strong customer support to wholesale customers as a way to differentiate and grow. 

Alex Witherow of Car Rental University shares his years of experience with Car Sharing business - tips on starting and growing a profitable car-sharing side-hustle, scaling the business, and valuable insights on avoiding common pitfalls. 

Mel young, founder of Flowerdale valley shares how her desire to be her own boss and spend more time with her kids propelled her to start a natural skincare brand. Mel also shares how she has grown her business organically over time and grown as an entrepreneur by challenging herself every step of the way.

Krish Himmatramka of Do Amore as he explores ethically sourced, high-quality rings crafted from recycled metals and diamonds. Discover the innovative approach of Do Amore, balancing social impact and affordability while discussing the emergence of lab-created diamonds. Krish also shares his personal journey transitioning from engineering to founding Do Amore, emphasizing the significance of cultural alignment and ethical principles in business partnerships. 

Wendy Mackenzie of Everlasting Herb Farm shares her journey of learning and falling in love with herbal skincare products and starting a side-hustle which grew organically and allowed her to quit her teaching job. Wendy talks about creating an award winning natural deodorant formula and shares the advice of keeping things simple at the beginning. 

Nikki Smith, founder of Jewelry Brand Nikki Smith Designs shares her journey of hand crafting jewelry pieces as a side-hustle when she couldn't find modern, affordable jewelry pieces to wear to work. Nikki focused on slow, organic growth and learned about customer preferences by selling at pop-up shops and farmer's market and slowly growing her product collection while focusing on profitability. Nikki talks about organic growth, retail expansion, and business lessons learned. 

Scott Unkefer, founder of Just Panela, shares the story of living in Colombia and discovering Panela Sugar in coffee shops and the health benefits compared to refined sugar widely used in the West. Scott shares his journey of bringing the product to the western market, challenges in supply chain, educating the consumer of the benefits, price point, and success on Amazon. 

Josh Thurmond, the founder of LavaBox, shares the inspiration behind his innovative portable campfire. Thurmond shares the challenges, triumphs, and the key lessons learned in creating a high-quality outdoor product. His determination led to the unique design of Lava Box. Learn how his personal camping experience and market understanding played a pivotal role and explore the key features that make Lava Box stand out: compact size, high heat output, and an appealing design. 

Chris Clearman, founder of Matador, a high-performance travel equipment company shares his background as a product designer working at GoPro and deciding to start his own company. Matador creates innovative, high-quality, and functional products for the adventure traveler market. Chris shares his experiences in gaining early traction through design and tech blogs reach out, as well as having a good marketing strategy along with a great product. 

Chris Vandersluis, founder of HMS Software, shares the evolution of his Business HMS software which he started in 1984. Chris and his team focused on Project Management software and after finding a need for a time sheet system for their customers, built their product TimeControl to meet customer needs. Chris shares his business lessons over the last 40 years including working with partners and investors as well as taking a long-term vide and organic growth for his business. 

Ishan Dutta, CEO of Ugly Duckling, shares his journey building a hair product color brand, prioritizing internet marketing for niche markets. He emphasizes quality, customer service, and expansion into beauty categories, offering insights on industry challenges, AI impact, e-commerce trends, and entrepreneurial wisdom. 

Ronnie Teja, founder of Branzio Watches shares his entrepreneurial journey of going from a corporate career to building a high-quality but affordable watch brand Branzio. Ronnie shares his lessons in branding and setting your products apart in a highly competitive category. 

Braxton Fleming, Founder of Stealth Bros & Co., a visionary entrepreneur who transformed personal challenges into an empowering brand for the transgender community. A brand offering fashionable dopp kits for transgender men to discreetly store hormone replacement therapy and medical essentials. 

Jared Madsen of Madsen Cycles on a fascinating journey as he shares the story of PRI cargo bicycles and overcoming obstacles to establish them in the US market. From navigating production challenges in China to relocating to Taiwan for quality control, Jared's resilience shines through. Learn how Madsen Cycles built a dedicated community, faced shipping hurdles, and valued customer relationships. Gain insights into their strategies, navigating the impact of social media, and overcoming setbacks during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jessica Stellwagen of Bodify, a Med-Spa specializing in CoolSculpting shares how she partnered with her sister, fundraised half-a million dollars, and utilized her business acumen to quickly become one of the top CoolScultping clinics in the United States. Jessica shares her lessons in business building, building a high-performing team culture, and marketing strategies that helped her to grow quickly. 

Steven Sashen, founder of Xero Shoes shares the story of building an innovative footwear company where the products (shoes) allow natural barefoot fit and comfort and let feet do what is natural - bending, flexing, moving, and feeling. Steven talks about building the company initially through organic growth, shark-tank experience, and being profitable from the start. 

Dylan Lam of Omirank shares his journey of becoming an Amazon entrepreneur and launching multiple successful products and brands on Amazon. Dylan has now launched an Agency that is helping aspiring Amazon entrepreneurs succeed through Product Validation, PPC advertising, and helping to set up successful Product Launches. 

Olivier Momma, Founder of Ekster, shares how he came to the US as a Fulbright scholar and decided to create a trackable wallet brand after meeting his co-founder in business school. Olivier shares his experiences launching a successful Kickstarter campaign, challenges with marketing and customer acquisition, and goal of building a global smart travel gear brand.

Bill Spohn, Co-Owner of TruTechTools shares the story of building the largest niche tools business for HVAC technicians by focusing on providing a great customer service experience and educational resources for the customers.

David Smith, founder of Mattress Depot USA, shares how he got started in the mattress business selling discount liquidation mattresses and eventually built a successful chain store mattress retail brand in the US. David shares the details of mattress industry, business models, and what it takes to become successful in this highly competitive industry.

Michael Benarde, Co-founder of NightCap, a simple Scrunchie that covers a drink glass and prevents spiking, shares the story of how his sister dreamt of the product and then the brother/sister team worked together to bring it to market. Michael shares great insights on how they have made NightCap popular among college students, outsourcing operations, and building B2B partnerships. 

Johnathan Price of Down4SoundShop.com shares how he built an organic social media following around car audio products and built an e-commerce brand first selling other brand products and then creating his own product line. Johnathan has been wildly successful with this business and attributes success to his work ethic but also to building an authentic connection with his audience.

Kayla Hutchinson of Lucky Dog Design Company shares the story of building a stationary retail brand offering hand designed and in-house printed greeting cards, stickers, planners and other stationary items. Kayla shares her passion for paper printed products which she designs and prints herself. Kayla has received a strong traction on Etsy (and why Amazon did not work for her) and also talks about strategies and funnels she uses to bring customers to her website and retain over the long-run. Kayla also shares about using sustainable materials in her products. 

David Dennis of Ventana Surfboards and Supplies shares the story of creating a high-end, beautifully designed, and eco-friendly wooden surfboards that sell for thousands of dollars and can be used as art-pieces. 

Anthony Rosemond of Pastreez shares his journey of moving to the US from Paris, France to bring the authentic taste of Macarons to the people of United States. Anthony talks about the process of moving from Paris and starting a business in the US, growing organically, and the challenges of shipping Pastries across the US.

Jamie Taylor, the founder of Confete Party Box, shares the story of building a Party Gift Boxes and Balloon Installations Business and then pivoting to Virtual Party Boxes during COVID. Jamie shares her lessons in growth, B2B sales, and future plans.

Diana Hall, the founder of ActivArmor, shares the story of disrupting the traditional medical casts and splints with custom 3-D printed plastic alternatives that offer better fit, waterproof protection, and better lifestyle fit for individual patients. Diana shares the unique value proposition of the product, business model and large market size, overcoming challenges in driving adoption, and changing medical provider and patient behavior in how they use casts and splints.