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44 episodes with bottlekeeper
4 episodes with bottlekeeper
In this episode of Talk Commerce, Adam Callinan, founder of Pentane and co-creator of Bottlekeeper, shares insights on running lean businesses, the importance of authenticity in a world increasingly dominated by AI, and how data-driven decisions can lead to profitability. He discusses the challenges and opportunities presented by AI in business operations and emphasizes the need for human touch in an automated world. Adam also reflects on the future of e-commerce and the role of AI in shaping business strategies.TakeawaysAdam Callinan emphasizes the importance of family and authenticity in business.Bottlekeeper was created out of a need for a better way to keep beer cold.Running a lean business model can lead to significant profitability.Authenticity in communication is crucial in a world filled with AI-generated content.Pentane focuses on using math to drive business decisions and profitability.AI has potential but is currently limited in its mathematical capabilities.The future of e-commerce will involve more AI integration but requires careful implementation.Understanding cash flow is essential for business sustainability.Companies need to adapt to changing tariffs and manufacturing costs.Mental resilience is key for entrepreneurs to navigate challenges.Chapters00:00Introduction to Adam Callinan and His Ventures02:45The Story Behind Bottlekeeper06:07The Importance of Authenticity in Business08:35Pentane: A New Approach to Business Operations12:05The Role of AI in Business and Pentane17:48Future Predictions for E-commerce and AI20:57Introduction to Adam Kalanen and Pentane21:08The Importance of Authenticity in a Digital Age
In this episode of the eCommerce Marketing Podcast, host Arlen Robinson speaks with Adam Callinan, founder of Pentain, about the importance of financial data in driving eCommerce profitability. Adam shares his journey from co-founding Bottlekeeper to creating Pentain, emphasizing the need for brands to leverage financial insights for better decision-making. They discuss the impact of pricing strategies, the dangers of discounting, and the significance of understanding ad budgets. Adam highlights common blind spots among brands and the future of intelligence tools in eCommerce, advocating for actionable data-driven strategies. Key Episode Takeaways: Financial data is often overlooked by eCommerce founders. Understanding fixed and variable expenses is crucial for profitability. Discounting can harm a business's bottom line if not managed properly. Ad budgets should be based on data, not guesswork. Every dollar saved on fixed expenses directly increases net profit. Brands often underprice their products without realizing it. Using math can clarify the impact of pricing changes. AI tools can enhance decision-making in eCommerce. The same financial principles apply across different industries. Actionable insights from data are essential for business growth. For show transcript highlights, past guests, and more, visit: https://www.ecommercemarketingpodcast.com Or on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/@ecommercemarketingpodcast Twitter: https://x.com/emarketpodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ecommercemarktingpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emarketingpodcast/ Past guests on the ecommerce marketing podcast include Neil Patel, Nemo Chu, Luke Lintz, Luke Carthy, Amber Armstrong, Kris Ruby and many more. Thanks for listening. Be sure to subscribe and leave a review.
From Bottle Insulation to Business Innovation: Adam Callinan's JourneyI wonder how many of us have watched Shark Tank and dreamed about being in those entrepreneurs' shoes? Adam Callinan lived that reality, transforming a simple beer bottle insulator into a multi-million dollar brand. His journey reveals powerful lessons about lean startup techniques, crowdfunding success, and building a valuable brand beyond just revenue figures.In this episode, Matt Edmundson sits down with Adam Callinan, co-founder of BottleKeeper and current SaaS entrepreneur, for a fascinating conversation about validating product ideas, scaling with minimal staff, protecting intellectual property, and navigating the reality of Shark Tank deals.Key Takeaways:Proof of Concept Through Lean MethodsAdam's approach to validating BottleKeeper is a masterclass in lean startup techniques. Before investing significant money, he tested market interest by collecting emails and launching a crowdfunding campaign. "We did all of that before we spent any money," Adam explains, highlighting how crucial it is to validate ideas before major investment.Building a Scalable Business with Minimal StaffI'm fascinated by how BottleKeeper reached $10 million in revenue with only 14 team members. Could this approach work in today's market? Adam built the business with a strict guardrail: "If you're going to make that decision, you have to solve problems in a way that doesn't require human bodies to solve them." This forced innovation through automation and systems rather than hiring.Creating Value Beyond RevenuePerhaps the most surprising insight was how BottleKeeper's acquisition discussions focused less on revenue and more on their intellectual property portfolio. "On four phone calls with the board of directors, not one time did they ask us what our revenue was or if we were profitable," Adam reveals. This challenges conventional wisdom about what creates business value.The Reality of Shark Tank ExposureWhile BottleKeeper secured an on-air deal with Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner, it ultimately didn't materialize after filming. However, the exposure generated over $1 million in revenue in the first week after airing. Adam notes, "When you have the opportunity to get in front of millions of eyeballs for free... it is exceptional from a customer acquisition standpoint."Data-Driven Decision MakingAdam's current venture, Pentane, emerged from the systems he built to run BottleKeeper. The SaaS platform helps consumer brands make smarter decisions through data analysis, highlighting how effective internal tools can often become valuable products themselves.I wonder how many ecommerce entrepreneurs are neglecting intellectual property as a value-builder? And how might automation principles from Adam's playbook apply in today's more challenging paid media environment?For more information about the topics discussed in this episode, visit ecommercepodcast.net.
Financial Clarity, Resilience, and Entrepreneurial Growth with Adam CallinanOn this episode of The Thoughtful Entrepreneur, host Josh Elledge talks with Adam Callinan, founder and CEO of Pentane and host of the podcast Growth Mavericks: Disrupting Default. In this insightful conversation, Adam shares a wealth of wisdom around financial management, mental resilience, and the power of simplifying complex business challenges. Entrepreneurs at every stage will find actionable takeaways to help strengthen both their businesses and their mindset.Building Resilience Through Mindfulness and RoutineAdam opens up about his personal mindfulness practice, sharing how Tibetan throat singing has helped him quiet his “monkey mind” and gain focus. By integrating daily meditation and regular screen-free activities like carpentry and hiking, Adam finds mental clarity and balance—essential tools for entrepreneurs facing constant decisions and stress. He encourages founders to create consistent routines, explore different mindfulness techniques, and carve out time to disconnect and reset.Financial Clarity and Simplifying Complexity with PentaneDrawing from his e-commerce success with BottleKeeper, Adam created Pentane to simplify financial management for consumer brands. The platform connects with accounting tools like QuickBooks and uses smart algorithms to help business owners understand their revenue, expenses, and profit drivers in real time. Adam emphasizes the importance of setting clear goals, conducting regular financial reviews, and making data-driven decisions—removing guesswork and emotion from financial planning to focus on what actually moves the needle.The Mission Behind Growth Mavericks and Leading with PurposeAdam's podcast, Growth Mavericks: Disrupting Default, was born from a desire to normalize conversations around entrepreneurial struggle and success. He stresses that embracing failure, pushing past comfort zones, and building a trusted community are foundational to long-term growth. Whether through his tech company or podcast, Adam's mission is clear: help entrepreneurs operate with more confidence, less confusion, and a lot more clarity.About Adam CallinanAdam Callinan is a seasoned entrepreneur, investor, and builder who co-founded BottleKeeper and took it from idea to over $50 million in sales with zero outside capital or full-time employees. He is currently the founder and CEO of Pentane, a platform designed to automate and simplify financial operations for early-stage consumer brands. Adam is also the host of the podcast Growth Mavericks: Disrupting Default, which you can explore at growthmaverickspodcast.com, and he is an investor in over 100 companies.About PentanePentane is a financial intelligence platform designed to help consumer brands clearly understand their profit metrics and make data-informed business decisions. By integrating with tools like QuickBooks and applying real-time analytics, Pentane empowers founders to simplify complex financials and stay on top of their performance with clarity and confidence.Links Mentioned in this EpisodePentane WebsiteAdam Callinan on LinkedInGrowth Mavericks PodcastEpisode HighlightsWhy Adam practices Tibetan throat singing and disconnects from...
Looking for the best eCommerce profit optimization software to scale your brand? In this episode, we sit down with Adam Callinan, serial entrepreneur and founder of Pentane, a platform designed to help early-stage and scaling DTC brands turn their numbers into strategic decisions—without needing a CFO.Adam shares actionable strategies for improving your ecommerce workflow, maximizing ecommerce profit, and building a business that scales intelligently. Whether you're running a Shopify store or launching a new DTC product, this conversation is packed with valuable insight into eCommerce financial tools, SaaS for consumer brands, and the math behind sustainable growth.Discover how to:Create real-time automated P&L software dashboards for smarter, faster decisionsUnderstand and optimize your ad spend strategy for eCommerceUse metrics and levers to achieve profitability goalsImprove your real-time business metrics without waiting weeks for a P&LLearn from a founder with multiple exits and Shark Tank product successThis episode is a goldmine for founders, marketers, and operators trying to cut through the chaos and create meaningful, data-backed growth with eCommerce growth systems that actually move the needle.Whether you're just getting started or already at $5M+ in revenue, Adam's insights around profitability optimization for startups will help you define your path forward.00:00 – Intro to Adam Callinan and Pentane01:15 – From medical devices to BottleKeeper and Shark Tank02:45 – Building eCommerce systems with no team or investors04:10 – What Pentane is and why it works06:00 – Ad spend, profitability, and how Pentane calculates optimal strategy08:05 – Fixed expenses, pricing, and conversion rate hacks10:00 – What type of businesses should use Pentane12:00 – API integrations: Shopify, QuickBooks, Amazon, Google Ads13:20 – Why “Pentane”? The story behind the name14:00 – The role of AI in business decision-making15:30 – Final thoughts and how to get started with PentaneTo check out the YouTube (video podcast), visit: https://www.youtube.com/@drchrisloomdphdDisclaimer: Not advice. Educational purposes only. Not an endorsement for or against. Results not vetted. Views of the guests do not represent those of the host or show. Click here to join PodMatch (the "AirBNB" of Podcasting): https://www.joinpodmatch.com/drchrisloomdphdWe couldn't do it without the support of our listeners. To help support the show:CashApp- https://cash.app/$drchrisloomdphdVenmo- https://account.venmo.com/u/Chris-Loo-4Spotify- https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/christopher-loo/supportBuy Me a Coffee- https://www.buymeacoffee.com/chrisJxClick here to schedule a 1-on-1 private coaching call: https://www.drchrisloomdphd.com/book-onlineClick here to check out our bookstore, e-courses, and workshops: https://www.drchrisloomdphd.com/shopClick here to purchase my books on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2PaQn4pFor audiobooks, visit: https://www.audible.com/author/Christopher-H-Loo-MD-PhD/B07WFKBG1FFollow our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/chL1357Follow us on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/drchrisloomdphdFollow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thereal_drchrislooFollow our Blog: https://www.drchrisloomdphd.com/blogFollow the podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3NkM6US7cjsiAYTBjWGdx6?si=1da9d0a17be14d18Subscribe to our LinkedIn newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=6992935013231071233Subscribe to our email list: https://financial-freedom-podcast-with-dr-loo.kit.com/Thank you to all of our sponsors and advertisers that help support the show!Financial Freedom for Physicians, Copyright 2025
SummaryIn this episode of EGGS: The Podcast, Adam Callinan, founder and CEO of Pentane, shares his entrepreneurial journey, including his experience with Bottlekeeper and the lessons learned along the way. He discusses the importance of balancing work and family life, the significance of understanding contribution margin in business, and the role of partnerships in growth. Adam emphasizes the need for clear priorities and boundaries in entrepreneurship, and he offers insights into the future of Pentane and the importance of authenticity in marketing.TakeawaysAdam emphasizes the importance of balancing family and business life.Building scalable tech can simplify operations for startups.Understanding contribution margin is crucial for profitability.Partnerships can significantly enhance customer acquisition strategies.Patents play a vital role in protecting intellectual property.Experience in previous ventures informs current business decisions.The importance of networking and leveraging connections for growth.Authenticity in marketing is becoming increasingly important.Setting clear boundaries helps maintain focus on priorities.The future of business will increasingly rely on data-driven decisions.Chapters00:00 Introduction to Adam Callinan and Pentane03:08 Balancing Family and Entrepreneurship06:23 The Birth of Bottlekeeper09:09 Product Development and Crowdfunding12:18 Navigating Patents and Intellectual Property15:07 The Acquisition Journey and Business Strategy21:54 Navigating Profitability Challenges23:16 The Decision to Sell: A New Chapter24:51 Transitioning to Software: An Unexpected Journey25:53 Understanding Business Math: The Key to Profitability31:00 Automating Financial Insights: The Role of Pentane33:58 Bootstrapping a Startup: From Idea to Execution42:26 Building the Software: Finding the Right Development Partner43:07 The Journey of Development and Partnerships49:24 Navigating Customer Acquisition Strategies56:12 Finding Purpose and Setting BoundariesCredits:Hosted by Michael Smith and Ryan RoghaarProduced by Ryan RoghaarTheme music: "Perfect Day" by OPM The Carton:https://medium.com/the-carton-by-eggsFeature with Zack Chmeis of Straight Method up now! https://medium.com/the-carton-by-eggs/zack-chmeis-35dae817ac28 The Eggs Podcast Spotify playlist:bit.ly/eggstunesThe Plugs:The Show: eggscast.com@eggshow on twitter and instagramOn iTunes: itun.es/i6dX3pCOnStitcher: bit.ly/eggs_on_stitcherAlso available on Google Play Music!Mike "DJ Ontic":Shows and info:djontic.com@djontic on twitterRyan Roghaar:rogha.ar
In this episode of The Richer Geek Podcast, we are joined by Adam Callinan, founder of Pentane, an innovative e-commerce profitability system. Adam shares his journey from medical devices to creating the wildly successful BottleKeeper and how those experiences led to the development of Pentane. Discover how Pentane transforms raw e-commerce data into actionable insights, helping businesses of all sizes, especially early-stage consumer brands, achieve sustainable profitability. Learn how to move beyond guesswork and emotion and embrace a data-driven approach to your e-commerce strategy. Adam dives into the critical mistakes many businesses make, including arbitrary ad budgets and the hidden impact of fixed expenses, and how Pentane provides the tools to make informed decisions. In this episode, we're discussing… E-commerce Success Formula – Adam Callinan, founder of Pentane, shares how understanding financial and customer acquisition metrics helped scale BottleKeeper into an eight-figure business with just four employees. The Power of Real-Time Data – Pentane provides a live dashboard integrating expenses, revenue, and ad spend to help e-commerce businesses make data-driven decisions instead of guessing. Optimizing Profitability – Businesses can set financial goals (e.g., a 10% net margin) and use Pentane's system to backtrack the exact ad spend and revenue targets needed to achieve them. Beyond Trial & Error – Many e-commerce brands operate blindly, throwing money at ads without knowing their impact. Pentane replaces uncertainty with precise, actionable insights. Who It's For – Ideal for early-stage consumer brands (
https://www.leadfeeder.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=body&utm_campaign=brandvivaSummaryIn this engaging conversation, Mark, Ben, and Adam delve into the world of entrepreneurship, exploring Adam's journey from aspiring doctor to successful entrepreneur with his company, Bottlekeeper. They discuss the influence of childhood environments, the importance of creativity in small towns, and the risks associated with starting a business. Adam shares insights on the initial skepticism he had about Bottlekeeper and the innovative ways he tested the market for his product. The conversation highlights the significance of enjoying what you do and the value of taking calculated risks in the pursuit of success. In this conversation, Adam Callinan shares his journey of launching and growing Bottle Keeper, emphasizing the importance of market validation, the impact of Shark Tank, and the challenges of running a cyclical consumer goods business. He discusses the emotional toll of entrepreneurship, including anxiety and the need for coping strategies, ultimately leading to the decision to exit the business. In this conversation, Adam Callinan shares his journey from leading Bottlekeeper to launching Pentane, a software tool designed to help businesses understand their financial dynamics. He discusses the acquisition process, the importance of patience during transitions, and the lessons learned from consulting with struggling companies. Adam emphasizes the significance of efficiency and strategic spending in entrepreneurship, while also highlighting the impact of his work on other businesses. The discussion culminates in Adam's vision for Pentane as a tool that empowers business operators to make informed decisions and drive profitability. https://www.leadfeeder.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=body&utm_campaign=brandviva
In this episode of the Million Dollar Mastermind podcast, host Larry Weidel is joined by Adam Callinan, Founder and CEO of Pentane. They discuss Adam's journey from aspiring doctor to successful entrepreneur, how he co-founded BottleKeeper, validating its market potential through crowdfunding and surpassing sales targets by 350%, and how Pentane optimizes business profitability through mathematical models.
In this episode of the Million Dollar Mastermind podcast, host Larry Weidel is joined by Adam Callinan, Founder and CEO of Pentane. They discuss Adam's journey from aspiring doctor to successful entrepreneur, how he co-founded BottleKeeper, validating its market potential through crowdfunding and surpassing sales targets by 350%, and how Pentane optimizes business profitability through mathematical models.
In this episode of the Million Dollar Mastermind podcast, host Larry Weidel is joined by Adam Callinan, Founder and CEO of Pentane. They discuss Adam's journey from aspiring doctor to successful entrepreneur, how he co-founded BottleKeeper, validating its market potential through crowdfunding and surpassing sales targets by 350%, and how Pentane optimizes business profitability through mathematical models.
In this episode of the Million Dollar Mastermind podcast, host Larry Weidel is joined by Adam Callinan, Founder and CEO of Pentane. They discuss Adam's journey from aspiring doctor to successful entrepreneur, how he co-founded BottleKeeper, validating its market potential through crowdfunding and surpassing sales targets by 350%, and how Pentane optimizes business profitability through mathematical models.
In this episode of The Business Growth Podcast, Adam Callanan, co-founder of BottleKeeper, shares his journey from humble beginnings to creating a multi-million dollar company that caught the eye of Shark Tank investors and eventually sold to private equity. Adam dives into the math and strategy that drove BottleKeeper's rapid growth, emphasizing the power of data-driven decisions in scaling a business. He also shares advice on navigating investor relationships and optimizing cash flow to stay self-sustaining, making this episode a goldmine for entrepreneurs who aim to grow without sacrificing control.Key Points:[0:00] Introducing Adam Callanan and BottleKeeper Adam Callanan, a serial entrepreneur, shares how he co-founded BottleKeeper, which skyrocketed to $8 million in sales without outside funding or employees.[1:09] Making it to Shark Tank Adam recounts his experience appearing on Shark Tank, including the long process of securing a spot on the show and how BottleKeeper was already a major success before filming.[2:21] The Real Value of Shark Tank While the show's investor angle was appealing, Adam reveals that BottleKeeper's true motivation for going on Shark Tank was the exposure it could bring to the brand.[4:38] The Power of Knowing Your Numbers Adam stresses the importance of understanding business finances to grow sustainably, sharing that clear financial metrics allowed BottleKeeper to scale profitably without external capital.[7:02] Self-Sustaining Growth Over Venture Capital Adam explains why building a profitable business model can be more advantageous than seeking investors, giving entrepreneurs control over their company's future.[10:57] Why Math Matters in Marketing He highlights how calculating ad spend and ROI became critical to scaling, noting that most businesses under $20 million make dangerous mistakes by not having a data-driven ad strategy. Quotable Moments:[2:06] “We just wanted to get in front of the panel… for us, it (Shark Tank) was really about brand exposure.” – Adam Callanan[4:47] “The biggest risk is getting an influx of orders and not having the systems in place to handle it—that's where things can blow up.” – Adam Callanan[7:10] “If you understand the math, you don't need investors… you'll have the control and flexibility that comes from being self-sustaining.” – Adam Callanan Links Mentioned:- BottleKeeper on Shark Tank (Season 10, Episode 6): https://abc.com/shows/shark-tank-Bottle Keeper: - Pentane - Adam's latest venture: https://pentane.com- Connect with Adam on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adammcallinan/- Beefy Marketing: https://beefymarketing.comTune in to hear Adam Callanan's practical insights for sustainable growth and the vital role of numbers in decision-making. Subscribe to The Business Growth Podcast and follow Beefy Marketing on social media for more valuable business tips. Visit BeefyMarketing.com to elevate your marketing strategy.
Adam Callinan, founder and CEO of Pentane, shares his journey from aspiring doctor to successful e-commerce entrepreneur. His software company, Pentane, helps businesses make data-driven decisions to improve profitability. Callinan discusses bootstrapping strategies, the importance of managing fixed expenses, and lessons learned from his experiences with Bottlekeeper and Pentane. 00:33- About Adam Callinan Adam is the founder and chief executive officer of Pentane, a profitability-focused software company with a real-time operating dashboard and efficiency toolkit. He was also the co-founder and chief executive officer at BottleKeeper, a consumer product brand that grew profitably in its first three years from zero to $8 million in revenue with no employees, investors, or debt. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tbcy/support
Adam Callninan transitioned from wanting to be a doctor into a serial entrepreneur and is the founder behind company's Pentane and BottleKeeper. He's found success by crowdfunding and Facebook ads, and he's made an appearance on Shark Tank. He now takes a seat to discuss his pathway to profitability in his businesses and how to reach your target audience with your business ideas. Adam talks about focusing on creating compelling content when marketing a crowdfunding campaign, managing fixed expenses to achieve profitability, and listening to customers so you can alter services/products accordingly. He also highlights the importance of adaptability and willingness to learn new skills when going down the path of entrepreneurship. Resources:Email Ryan: podcast@upflip.comConnect with Adam: www.Pentane.comEp 137 How to Build a Million Dollar Business You Love: https://www.upflip.com/podcastConnect with UpFlip: On Facebook On Instagram On Youtube @UpFlipOfficial on Twitter For more insights to start, build, or grow a business, check out the resources on UpFlip.com or head to the UpFlip YouTube channel to see more interviews with business owners and experts. Thanks for listening!
Wondering what it takes to turn a failing business into a profitable one?In this episode of 7-8 Figure Special Series I interviewed Adam Callinan. Adam Callinan is the founder at Pentane, a SaaS platform that shows consumer brands how to operate profitably, starting with how to create ad budgets without emotion. Previously Adam was co-founder/CEO at BottleKeeper, a consumer brand that grew from $0 - $8M in sales in just 3 years without employees or investors, then was acquired in 2021 as an 8-figure company with just 4 employees.Want to avoid common financial mistakes that can hurt your business? Check this out!Show Links:Pentane Website: https://pentane.com/Adam Callinan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adammcallinan/Book a call with Michelle: https://go.appointmentcore.com/book/IcFD4cGJoin our Facebook group for business owners to get help or help other business owners! The Business Ownership Group - Secrets to Scaling: https://www.facebook.com/groups/businessownershipsecretstoscalingLooking to scale your business? Get free gifts here to help you on your way: https://www.awarenessstrategies.com/
Kirby and Adam speak about his businesses, being the founder of Pentain, as well as co-founder of BottleKeeper prior to that, and the successes and challenges that he had along the way.
If you’ve ever wondered why most of your business came from referrals, you should listen to this conversation. This week marketing expert Erik Huberman shares the three areas of marketing that are critical for growth and why we as entrepreneurs get stuck in the hustle finding customers, even if we’re great at what we do. During this conversation we’ll cover how to pare down and strengthen your message, creating a better understanding of your customer relationships, and how to apply solid business strategies to your marketing plan in order to give you the freedom you need to Have it ALL. "People end up cutting things off that could have been successful because they don't understand how to look at a piece of marketing." – Erik Huberman About Erik: Erik Huberman is the founder and CEO of Hawke Media, the fastest growing marketing consultancy in the United States. Launched in 2014, Hawke Media has been valued at $75 million and has grown from seven to over 150 employees in three locations (Los Angeles, New York, and Boston). The company has serviced over 2000 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty, and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless, and Alibaba. Hawke Media has taken home numerous industry awards including inclusion on the Inc. 5000 2020 list of “Fastest Growing Companies”, Fortune Magazine’s “50 Best Workplaces in Southern California” and Huberman was named The International Business Awards Entrepreneur of the Year in the field of Advertising, Marketing, & Public Relations. As a serial entrepreneur and marketing expert, Huberman is a sought-after thought leader in the world of digital marketing, entrepreneurship, sales and business. Prior to Hawke, he founded, grew and sold two successful ecommerce companies. Huberman is the recipient of numerous honors and awards including Forbes “30Under30,” CSQ “40Under40”, Inc. Magazine’s “Top 25 Marketing Influencers,” and Best in Biz North America’s “Marketing Executive of the Year.” A regular contributor to major publications like Forbes, Entrepreneur and CSQ, Huberman is also a well-known keynote speaker. About The Hawke Method: Ever wonder how the biggest brands in the world make it to the top? Here's a hint: it's more than just a well-placed billboard or a TV ad. According to Erik Huberman, the Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, there's a common framework behind every successful marketing strategy. After helping over 3,000 brands find success through his holistic approach, Erik has distilled the art of marketing into three core elements: awareness, nurturing, and trust. Without all three, the system fails. From fledgling students to seasoned industry veterans, anyone can gain from the shrewd strategies in The Hawke Method. And use them to fly above the competition. You can buy a copy of The Hawke Method here: https://amzn.to/3IrccE9 Stay focused on the mindset, skills, and habits it takes to Have It All with the following: Take the free Have It All Assessment here: Learn the four pillars of performance by reading my book, The Making of a Maverick Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marlohiggins/ Book 15-minute clarity call to see how you can create the roadmap to your own Peaceful Achievement success story. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Here are three words that might ring a bell: The scientific method.In its most basic form, the scientific method follows these steps:First, you identify the problem or question. Then you hypothesize a solution or outcome. From there, you design and run an experiment to test this prediction. And finally, you analyze the results from your test to see if your hypothesis was correct.The scientific method is the basis of all scientific thinking, but, even when we don't recognize it, this process is also the basis of human thinking. Everyday we hypothesize, test our hypotheses, and draw conclusions. It's easy to see how this same process can be — and should be — applied to a growing business. And it's a methodology that today's guest has leveraged time and time again.“[In math], you start with a problem and a solution -- it's up to you to figure out the stuff in between in the most efficient way possible. And that is entrepreneurship to the T... and leveraging the scientific method, which is just a hypothesis-based single variant test, is critically important, particularly in the world of software and technology.”That's Adam Callinan, the co-founder and President of BottleKeeper, a company producing an innovative insulated bottle designed to keep glass bottles and aluminum cans cold. Since its founding, BottleKeeper has skyrocketed; today it is a multi-million dollar company consistently growing dramatically year over year. But it didn't start that way. Early growth was slow, and it took careful testing and iterating again and again to achieve the success the company has seen. So what tools and mindsets did Adam and his cofounder lean into in those first couple of years that set them on the road to success? And what have they changed since launching that's continued to allow them to grow far more than they could have imagined? Find out on this week's episode of The Journey.Main Takeaways:Test, Iterate, Test Again: Throughout his entrepreneurial journey, Adam turned to the scientific method as a way to test and verify his business assumptions. But don't forget to retest those assumptions as the business grows and changes. For example, for years, Adam had built the business with the philosophy that he would never hire anyone else, but he was forced to revisit and retest that assumption as the company grew and new opportunities presented themselves.Leverage Video: For many consumers, seeing is believing. Find the best way to communicate how your product works and why the consumer needs it. For Adam, this meant focusing on video. (Bonus Lesson: Don't wait until you have big marketing dollars to spend on making the perfect materials. Instead, take a page from Adam's book and write, shoot, and edit those first ads yourself.)Get a Patent… and Be Prepared to Enforce It: Copycats will inevitably come to market after they see your success. Be prepared by filing for a provisional patent as soon as possible, and then filing for the actual patent once you can afford it. More in the episode about what this process looks like and why your patent is only as good as your enforcement of it.---This season of the Journey is produced by Mission.org and brought to you by UPS. To learn how UPS can help your small business, go to UPS.com/pivot.
About Erik: Erik Huberman is the founder and CEO of Hawke Media, the fastest growing marketing consultancy in the United States. Launched in 2014, Hawke Media has been valued at $75 million and has grown from seven to over 150 employees in three locations (Los Angeles, New York, and Boston). The company has serviced over 2000 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty, and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless, and Alibaba. Hawke Media has taken home numerous industry awards including inclusion on the Inc. 5000 2020 list of “Fastest Growing Companies”, Fortune Magazine's “50 Best Workplaces in Southern California” and Huberman was named The International Business Awards Entrepreneur of the Year in the field of Advertising, Marketing, & Public Relations. As a serial entrepreneur and marketing expert, Huberman is a sought-after thought leader in the world of digital marketing, entrepreneurship, sales and business. Prior to Hawke, he founded, grew and sold two successful ecommerce companies. Huberman is the recipient of numerous honors and awards including Forbes “30Under30,” CSQ “40Under40”, Inc. Magazine's “Top 25 Marketing Influencers,” and Best in Biz North America's “Marketing Executive of the Year.” A regular contributor to major publications like Forbes, Entrepreneur and CSQ, Huberman is also a well-known keynote speaker. In this episode we discuss: Erik's childhood Becoming an Entrepreneur at 8 Getting into E-Commerce in Middle School Becoming the Top Knife Salesman for Cutco The College Years And much more! Connect with Erik: https://www.erikhuberman.com/ Connect with Jordan: https://jordanjmendoza.com/about-me Check out our Season Sponsors: https://www.byotpodcast.com/sponsors/ Check out our Partners of the Show: https://www.byotpodcast.com/p/partners/ Leave us a 5 Star review!
Joining this episode of The Jake Dunlap Show is third generation serial entrepreneur and marketing expert, Erik Huberman, CEO of Hawke Media. In this episode, Jake goes back in time with Erik as they uncover the steps he's taken to build one of the fastest growing marketing consultancies in the US. As a third-generation entrepreneur, Erik knew the kind of shoes he had to fill but remained steadfast - knowing deep inside that he had what it took to make it work. Having grown up in an environment that encouraged him to explore, Erik shares about how much of his qualities were attributed to attending a school that allowed its students to march to the beat of their own drum and how this allowed him to possess an early realization for self-awareness. Being naturally competitive, he knew that his main competitor was himself, he recalls his first entrepreneurial experience reselling beanie babies and ended up earning four grand as an eight-year-old. Erik talks about his first job in high school and why he never wanted to work for someone ever again which prompted him to learn to take things as an independent spirit. While earning his Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration at the University of Arizona, he set off to find career options starting in a real estate office, then moving to a sales and marketing company, and on to handling/running a start-up - when he graduated he was faced with the question of what he wanted to do in his life. Erik realized two things: that he was good at building businesses from scratch and had a passion for e-commerce brands. Erik shares how things are run differently at Hawke Media and expands on the importance of changing the traditional approach when it comes to marketing brands, making it more client-centric and authentic. He also touches on the subject of overcoming challenges and how the best way to go about it is by facing it head on.Listen to the full podcast and find out more about Erik Huberman's story of perseverance and finding the next best opportunity. QUOTES:On working: “I want to make money because I deserve to make money. Not because someone thinks I deserve to make money.”On working while still in school: “My thought around working in school was I want to go get a job. That's going to teach me something. That's either going to help me figure out what I want to do. Long-term or give me a skill that I can carry with me with whatever I do.”On the importance of word choice: “I think that taught me so much about sales because there's little word choices and nuance and communication are the difference between getting a deal on the spot on the spot. I honestly think through his volatility, I learned a lot of sales skills.”On making career decisions: “At the end of the day, you do have to make the right choice for you.”On his company's purpose: “There's gotta be a solution here that things can be accessible, but also really great meaning like, and so our mission statement to this day is accessibility to great marketing for everyone.”On running businesses: “Shit is going to happen all the time. You run a business, you're always going to be putting out fires.”In facing challenges: “It's like, if that's actually what's coming. What I do right now, doesn't matter. So let's just lean into it and go for it because if it works: awesome. And if it doesn't, we're probably in a lot bigger problems than, oh, I spent some time on my business. It didn't work out.”More about ErikErik Huberman is the CEO and founder of one of the fastest growing marketing consultancies in the US – Hawke Media, a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Los Angeles, CA that provides guidance, planning, and execution for brands, industries, and business models to grow and expand. To date, his company has serviced over 2000 brands, from start-ups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty, and Bottlekeeper, to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless, and Alibaba. Erik is one of the most sought-after thought leaders in the world of digital marketing, sales, and business who's had a successful run of founding, growing, and selling two e-commerce companies prior to establishing Hawke Media. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from the University of Arizona. Also known as keynote speaker, Erik is featured in different speaking engagements of all sizes where his distinctive style of storytelling comes into play with the way he shares his unique insights and true-to-life experiences that demonstrate the moral dimension of the corporate world. He mainly addresses topics on entrepreneurship, personal values, win/win business practices, and e-commerce with authority. He is also recognized as a regular contributor to major publications like Forbes, Entrepreneur and CSQ.Throughout the course of his career, Erik has been the recipient of multiple awards including, Forbes “30Under30,” CSQ “40Under40”, Inc. Magazine's “Top 25 Marketing Influencers,” and Best in Biz North America's “Marketing Executive of the Year.”Find out more about Erik Huberman through the following links:LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/erikhuberman/Website (Personal) - https://www.erikhuberman.com/Website (Hawke) - https://hawkemedia.com/Learn more about Jake Dunlap and Skaled by visiting the links below:Jake Dunlap:Personal Site - http://jakedunlap.com/LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakedunlap/Twitter - https://twitter.com/JakeTDunlapInstagram - http://instagram.com/jake_dunlap_Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/JakeTDunlap/Skaled:Website - https://skaled.com/LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/skaledYouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsw_03rSlbGQkeLGMGiDf4Q
*Starts at 7:05* Erik Huberman is the founder and CEO of Hawke Media, the fastest growing marketing consultancy in the United States. Launched in 2014, Hawke Media has been valued at $75 million and has grown from seven to over 150 employees in three locations (Los Angeles, New York, and Boston). The company has serviced over 2000 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Hawke Media has taken home numerous industry awards including inclusion on the Inc. 5000 2020 list of “Fastest Growing Companies”, Fortune Magazine's “50 Best Workplaces in Southern California” and Huberman was named The International Business Awards Entrepreneur of the Year in the field of Advertising, Marketing, & Public Relations. As a serial entrepreneur and marketing expert, Huberman is a sought-after thought leader in the world of digital marketing, entrepreneurship, sales and business. Prior to Hawke, he founded, grew and sold two successful ecommerce companies. Huberman is the recipient of numerous honors and awards including Forbes “30Under30,” CSQ "40Under40", Inc. Magazine's “Top 25 Marketing Influencers,” and Best in Biz North America's “Marketing Executive of the Year.” A regular contributor to major publications like Forbes, Entrepreneur and CSQ, Huberman is also a well-known keynote speaker.
*Starts at 7:05*Erik Huberman is the founder and CEO of Hawke Media, the fastest growing marketing consultancy in the United States. Launched in 2014, Hawke Media has been valued at $75 million and has grown from seven to over 150 employees in three locations (Los Angeles, New York, and Boston). The company has serviced over 2000 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Hawke Media has taken home numerous industry awards including inclusion on the Inc. 5000 2020 list of “Fastest Growing Companies”, Fortune Magazine’s “50 Best Workplaces in Southern California” and Huberman was named The International Business Awards Entrepreneur of the Year in the field of Advertising, Marketing, & Public Relations.As a serial entrepreneur and marketing expert, Huberman is a sought-after thought leader in the world of digital marketing, entrepreneurship, sales and business. Prior to Hawke, he founded, grew and sold two successful ecommerce companies. Huberman is the recipient of numerous honors and awards including Forbes “30Under30,” CSQ "40Under40", Inc. Magazine’s “Top 25 Marketing Influencers,” and Best in Biz North America’s “Marketing Executive of the Year.” A regular contributor to major publications like Forbes, Entrepreneur and CSQ, Huberman is also a well-known keynote speaker.
Erik Huberman is the founder and CEO of Hawke Media - The fastest growing marketing consultancy in the United States. Launched in 2014, Hawke Media has been valued at $75 million and has grown from seven to over 150 employees in three locations (Los Angeles, New York, and Boston). The company has serviced over 2000 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Hawke Media has taken home numerous industry awards including inclusion on the Inc. 5000 2020 list of “Fastest Growing Companies”, Fortune Magazine’s “50 Best Workplaces in Southern California” and Huberman was named The International Business Awards Entrepreneur of the Year in the field of Advertising, Marketing, & Public Relations. As a serial entrepreneur and marketing expert, Huberman is a sought-after thought leader in the world of digital marketing, entrepreneurship, sales and business. Prior to Hawke, he founded, grew and sold two successful ecommerce companies. Huberman is the recipient of numerous honors and awards including Forbes “30Under30,” CSQ "40Under40", Inc. Magazine’s “Top 25 Marketing Influencers,” and Best in Biz North America’s “Marketing Executive of the Year.” A regular contributor to major publications like Forbes, Entrepreneur and CSQ, Huberman is also a well-known keynote speaker.
Chris Bennett is the Co-Founder & CEO of Wonderschool. Wonderschool’s mission is to ensure every child has access to early education that helps them realize their potential. Wonderschool programs are diverse in structure and approach, but they all combine engaged teachers, thoughtful education design, and the warmth of an in-home program. So far, Wonderschool has helped thousands of parents find quality in-home care, and our network is growing every day. Wonderschool is hiring! https://angel.co/wonderschools About Our Partner This episode is brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country’s fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor’s “Best Places to Work”, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. Some of the Topics Covered by Chris Bennett in this Episode What Wonderschool does and how it got started What Chris learned from the early days of building Wonderschool starting with the first program they started How long it took to go from idea to their first enrollment The founding team of Wonderschool How Chris thought about growth for Wonderschool in the early days How people find out about Wonderschool today What goes into ensuring the quality of the teachers at Wonderschool Geographic growth for Wonderschool The fundraising process and getting top investors involved Going through 500 Startups Understanding the culture and expectation around raising each round of funding Chris's experience raising a Series A round of funding The approach Chris takes to hiring The Wonderschool business model The impact COVID had on Wonderschool Working with a coach, what it entails, and why Chris started writing a lot Sign up for The Weekly Grind, for actionable insights and stories from successful entrepreneurs delivered to your inbox once per week: https://www.justgogrind.com/newsletter/ Listen to all episodes of the Just Go Grind Podcast: https://www.justgogrind.com/podcast/ Follow Justin Gordon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/justingordon212 Follow Justin Gordon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justingordon8/
Today on Rise of The Young, we sit down with Erik Huberman. Erik is the founder and CEO of Hawke Media, the fastest growing marketing consultancy in the United States. Launched in 2014, Hawke Media has been valued at $75 million and has grown from seven to over 150 employees in three locations (Los Angeles, New York, and Boston). The company has serviced over 2000 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty, and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless, and Alibaba. Hawke Media has taken home numerous industry awards including inclusion on the Inc. 5000 2020 list of “Fastest Growing Companies”, Fortune Magazine’s “50 Best Workplaces in Southern California” and Huberman was named The International Business Awards Entrepreneur of the Year in the field of Advertising, Marketing, & Public Relations. Follow Erik here: https://www.instagram.com/erikhuberman/ Follow Hawke Media here: https://instagram.com/hawkemedia?igshid=qtwdfuljseo2 Check out Casey's Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDja3sNwZqEMgrn2rBHE44g
Amit Mishra is the Co-Founder and CEO of iMocha, a company providing AI-powered digital skills assessments. iMocha enables tech hiring managers and learning and development professionals with the ready-to-use, latest, and most comprehensive online skills assessment solution, offering 2000+ skills tests. About Our Partner This episode is also brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country’s fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor’s “Best Places to Work”, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. Some of the Topics Covered by Amit Mishra in this Episode What iMocha does, how it got started, and some aspects of their customer discovery What the product looked like in the early days of iMocha Going from $500/year ACV to $30K/year ACV How Amit was acquiring customers in the early years for iMocha Amit's experience in the Microsoft Accelerator Going from $15K MRR to $200K+ MRR The importance of focusing on the right customer segment and use case How increasing pricing helped the business grow Building the 60+ person team at iMocha The land and expand strategy Why Amit raised $600K in 2020 How Amit looks at using content to grow revenue for iMocha Rebranding from Interview Mocha to iMocha How iMocha's live coding platform came about 6 months early How Amit and his team are choosing which skills to focus on The path for iMocha to $50M ARR in 5 years Amit's experience as an entrepreneur so far Amit's advice for other entrepreneurs Sign up for The Weekly Grind, for actionable insights and stories from successful entrepreneurs delivered to your inbox once per week: https://www.justgogrind.com/newsletter/ Listen to all episodes of the Just Go Grind Podcast: https://www.justgogrind.com/podcast/ Follow Justin Gordon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/justingordon212 Follow Justin Gordon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justingordon8/
Harsh Vathsangam is the Co-Founder and CEO of Moving Analytics, Inc. ( https://www.movinganalytics.com/ ) He is driven by a passion for taking technological solutions and applying them to benefit people's lives. He received his PhD from the University of Southern California working at the intersection of big data and mobile health. He holds an undergraduate degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. Harsh is also one of the inventors of iGest, an alternative communication device for children with cerebral palsy and winner of the NASCOMM award for social innovation. Moving Analytics provides Movn - a virtual cardiac rehabilitation service that patients can do from the comfort of their home. They work with over 25 health systems and several payers to increase access to rehab. Movn is based on over 5 randomized clinical trials and clinical validation on over 70,000 patients showing equivalency to current standards of care. Contact Harsh if you want to implement virtual cardiac rehab in your organization! www.movinganalytics.com About Our Partners This episode is also brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media ( https://hawkemedia.com/ ) is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country’s fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor’s “Best Places to Work”, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. Some of the Topics Covered by Harsh Vathsangam in this Episode What Moving Analytics does and what the experience with patients entails How Moving Analytics got started Questions Harsh asked early on with potential customers How Harsh got his first customers for Moving Analytics Harsh's fundraising experience for Moving Analytics and what he would've done differently How Harsh approached equity splits with his Co-Founders Building rapport with investors What fueled the growth of Moving Analytics the past few years Managing cash-flow as a startup How Harsh has built his team of experts at Moving Analytics Delegation and how Harsh approaches this How Harsh invests in himself as a CEO Impactful books in Harsh's journey as an entrepreneur How Harsh recharges outside of work Sign up for The Weekly Grind, for actionable insights and stories from successful entrepreneurs delivered to your inbox once per week: https://www.justgogrind.com/newsletter/ Listen to all episodes of the Just Go Grind Podcast: https://www.justgogrind.com/podcast/ Follow Justin Gordon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/justingordon212 Follow Justin Gordon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justingordon8/
Tyler Hayes is CEO of Atom Limbs, the world's first mind-controlled bionic arm. Tyler was previously Co-Founder of Bebo (acq. Amazon) and Executive Producer of Minka which won Grand Jury Award for Best Documentary Short at the FFF. About Our Partner This episode is also brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country’s fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor’s “Best Places to Work”, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. Some of the Topics Covered by Tyler Hayes in this Episode What Atom Limbs is doing today How Tyler started Atom Limbs and why he wants to end death The progress DARPA How Tyler built a world-class team for Atom Limbs Why Tyler decided to build in stealth initially Raising capital through crowdfunding with Wefunder The marketing behind Atom Limbs and a crowdfunding campaign more broadly How Tyler and his team are going about putting Atom Limbs into full production The tech transfer process from Johns Hopkins to Atom Limbs Thoughts on monetization for frontier tech How Tyler thinks through about pricing for Atom Limbs The products that Atom Limbs are developing and they're capable of Where most of Tyler's time is spent now with Atom Limbs Some of Tyler's favorite books The importance of finding "your people" Sign up for The Weekly Grind, for actionable insights and stories from successful entrepreneurs delivered to your inbox once per week: https://www.justgogrind.com/newsletter/ Listen to all episodes of the Just Go Grind Podcast: https://www.justgogrind.com/podcast/ Follow Justin Gordon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/justingordon212 Follow Justin Gordon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justingordon8/
Greg Spillane is the CEO of Fancy ( https://fancy.com/ ) a curated online retailer that provides a platform for consumers looking to discover the coolest and most innovative fashion, accessories, art, and gadgets from emerging brands and artists across the globe. About Our Partner This episode is also brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country’s fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor’s “Best Places to Work”, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. Some of the Topics Covered by Greg Spillane in this Episode What Fancy is, when it was started, and how Greg got involved Why Greg decided to join Fancy after it went through turmoil What Greg did initially to start turning Fancy around The business model behind Fancy and what the experience is for brands on the platform How Fancy goes about curating brands for their platform The importance of creating trust on the buyer side of a platform How content and storytelling play a role in selling products on Fancy Building community and bringing on guest curators for the platform How Greg decided to use crowdfunding to raise capital for Fancy and the benefits that came along with it Why Greg and Fancy chose to use Wefunder for their crowdfunding campaign Components involved in an equity crowdfunding campaign The customer acquisition strategy for Fancy The traction of Fancy today How Greg and his team improved conversions on Fancy How Greg has gone about building the team and culture at Fancy What Greg does to invest in himself and make sure he's performing at his best each day Books that have been helpful for Greg in his career Why Greg decided to get an MBA at USC Sign up for The Weekly Grind, for actionable insights and stories from successful entrepreneurs delivered to your inbox once per week: https://www.justgogrind.com/newsletter/ Listen to all episodes of the Just Go Grind Podcast: https://www.justgogrind.com/podcast/ Follow Justin Gordon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/justingordon212 Follow Justin Gordon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justingordon8/
Ruben Harris is the Co-Founder & CEO of Career Karma ( https://careerkarma.com/ ). Career Karma is a community of peers, mentors, and coaches that will help you land a dream career in Tech. You never pay a dime. The only cost is to help people behind you. Career Karma is always free for students because after they coach you to prepare and get enrolled in a bootcamp in their network, the school pays them a placement fee for helping you. Here are some cool investors that have joined them: Michael Seibel (CEO of Y Combinator), Betsy Ziegler (CEO of 1871), Jewel Burks (CEO of PartPic), Arlan Hamilton (Backstage Capital), Unshackled Ventures, Paul Judge (Tech Square Labs), Prakash Jankiraman (Nextdoor), Justin Rosenstein (Asana), Erik Torenberg, David Phillips (Hackbright), Sten Tamkivi (Skype, Teleport, etc), Mandela Schumacher-Hodge Dixon (Founder Gym), Edward Lando, Kevin Lee (Product Manager HQ), Kevin Olusola (Pentatonix), Anarghya Vardhana, and more About Our Partner This episode is also brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country’s fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor’s “Best Places to Work”, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. Some of the Topics Covered by Ruben Harris in this Episode What Career Karma is and what it's like to work with them How Ruben and his Co-Founders decided to start Career Karma Sending 1,900+ cold emails to break into investment banking and the process behind cold outreach Ruben's experience going through Y Combinator and what he did after getting rejected from YC the first time The importance of not lying to yourself and staying laser-focused Ruben's experience raising funding in the seed round for Career Karma What's fueled the growth in the last year (2020) Why user-generated content has been a key driver for Career Karma How Ruben and his team approach partnerships at Career Karma and what they look for in coding bootcamps How Ruben and his team manage so many different relationships The business model behind Career Karma How Career Karma will become a $100B company What Ruben and his team are doing with Reskill America The book Ruben is reading right now Sign up for The Weekly Grind, for actionable insights and stories from successful entrepreneurs delivered to your inbox once per week: https://www.justgogrind.com/newsletter/ Listen to all episodes of the Just Go Grind Podcast: https://www.justgogrind.com/podcast/ Follow Justin Gordon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/justingordon212 Follow Justin Gordon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justingordon8/
Tyler Bushnell is the Founder & CEO of Polycade ( https://polycade.com/ ) the only arcade machine that's been designed for classic and modern games, giving you the ability to play everything from the best new indies, retro classics, or the most graphics-intensive modern fighters. About Polycade (From Tyler) I grew up surrounded by gaming in a way that most kids could never dream of experiencing. My dad invented Atari and started Chuck E Cheese. I know. I still can't believe how crazy that is. From a young age, I was lucky enough to witness the power of gaming as a means of social bonding. My seven brothers and I were enveloped by games; we lived and breathed them. We built community around playing games together in person. It was this unique upbringing that allowed me to notice the massive market opportunity for gaming in today's world. Internet connectivity is changing the way we interact with one another. We're spending more time communicating virtually, we're losing face-to-face social connectedness, and we're becoming socially isolated. At the same time, modern video games are pushing players toward solitary gaming. The low-commitment experience that once made video gaming accessible and so popular in out of home environments has largely disappeared. We know that being around others builds trust and friendship, that face-to-face connection brings happiness, that replacing your real-world relationships with social media use is detrimental to your health. We know we need to spend more time out of our homes, off our phones, and be more in the moment. So why isn't technology working harder to connect people in real life and build communities that affect our well-being for the better? As children of Nolan Bushnell, my siblings and I were often reminded of the power of gaming to bring people together. We heard it in the stories of 100s of people who told my dad that they had met their significant other over a game of Pong and thanked him for his part in making that happen. We saw it with our own eyes. We recognize that we have an opportunity to provide the perfect catalyst for interaction. So we set out on a mission to make gaming social: getting people out of their houses, making new friends, and building community. Oh, and having some fun along the way too. We created Polycade. About Our Partner This episode is also brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country’s fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor’s “Best Places to Work”, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. Some of the Topics Covered by Tyler Bushnell in this Episode How Tyler decided to use Kickstarter to raise funds for Polycade initially How Polycade got started The benefits of using Kickstarter to test products The amount of preparation that went into Tyler's Kickstarter campaign for Polycade and how it went How Tyler built the initial prototype for Polycade Some of the early problems Tyler faced when created Polycade How Tyler approached pricing for this product Why Tyler decided to go through the Techstars accelerator and how Tyler's experience went The importance of understanding what a contract manufacturer is Getting introductions to about 140 investors through Techstars to raise a seed round The team behind Polycade today The customer acquisition strategy for Polycade Licensing for Polycade How Tyler has leveraged influencer collaborations to grow Polycade Working with Juelz Santana, Steve Aoki, and Lil John How growing up with a family of entrepreneurs (His dad, Nolan Bushnell, started Atari and Chuck E. Cheese) influenced Tyler Sign up for The Weekly Grind, for actionable insights and stories from successful entrepreneurs delivered to your inbox once per week: https://www.justgogrind.com/newsletter/ Listen to all episodes of the Just Go Grind Podcast: https://www.justgogrind.com/podcast/ Follow Justin Gordon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/justingordon212 Follow Justin Gordon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justingordon8/
Eric Gilbert is the Co-Founder of Treefort Music Fest ( https://www.treefortmusicfest.com/ ) an annual 5 day event in Boise, Idaho that's had over 133,000 attendees in 8 years and featured 1000s of bands from around the world. Treefort Music Fest is a five-day indie music festival, held at numerous venues throughout downtown Boise, Idaho every year in March. Over the first eight years it has expanded to also include Alefort, Artfort, Comedyfort, Dragfort, Filmfort, Foodfort, Hackfort, Kidfort, Skatefort, Storyfort, and Yogafort. Treefort is now a full-fledged multi-disciplinary event with a lot of dynamic collaboration and community engagement. Treefort is very active year round as an important champion for creatives. Invest in Treefort Music Fest: https://wefunder.com/treefort About Our Partners This episode is also brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country’s fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor’s “Best Places to Work”, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. Some of the Topics Covered by Eric Gilbert in this Episode What Treefort Music Fest is and the different "forts" they have How Treefort Music Fest got started The planning behind the first Treefort Music Fest and how the first festival did from a business perspective The marketing behind the first festival Getting sponsors for Treefort Music Fest The differences from the first year to the second year Becoming a Certified B Corporation vs. becoming a non-profit What it takes to run Treefort Music Fest today and the team behind it How Eric and his team decided to crowdfund with Wefunder How the team behind Treefort Music Fest markets the events with a small budget Eric's advice around starting a festival Sign up for The Weekly Grind, for actionable insights and stories from successful entrepreneurs delivered to your inbox once per week: https://www.justgogrind.com/newsletter/ Listen to all episodes of the Just Go Grind Podcast: https://www.justgogrind.com/podcast/ Follow Justin Gordon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/justingordon212 Follow Justin Gordon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justingordon8/
Dan is the Co-Founder and Chief Grain Officer of ReGrained, a mission-driven ingredient platform that leverages technology and culinary science to transform beer waste into food. Dan is an entrepreneurial systems thinker and loves tackling seemingly intractable problems through creative entrepreneurship and cross-sectoral collaboration. Through ReGrained, he has become a thought-leader about food waste business models, "edible upcycling" and the circular economy for food. ReGrained has:-Forbes 30 under 30: Food and Beverage (2018) -Won Slow Money NorCal's Food Funded Pitch Competition (2017) -Finalist at FoodBytes! (2016) -Finalist at SXSW Eco-Reuse and Recycling Sector (2016) -Burt's Bees Natural Launchpad (2016) -Won a sustainable innovation award at Sustainable Brands 2016 and was selected for Burt's Bees Natural Product Launchpad. Dan holds an MBA in Sustainable Business from Presidio Graduate School and a BA in Economics from UCLA. More on ReGrained: ReGrained better aligns the food we eat with the planet we love. They are an ingredient platform created to promote an innovative model of food production that they've coined as “Edible Upcycling.” Powered by patent-pending technology, they reimagine perceived ends as beginnings by finding nutritious food streams that are currently being treated as inedible and render them into delicious and healthy food. They rescue these overlooked but awesome ingredients and put them back to work. Their goal: To improve the way we value food and the resources that support all life Their initial focus: Upcycling the nutritious grain created every time that beer is brewed. In the U.S. alone, billions of pounds of this latent supply chain are available every year. Brewing beer processes the sugar out of the grain. This gives them optimal access to protein, fiber, and micronutrients. They upcycle this grain into ReGrained flour. They incorporate this sustainable, delicious, and nutritious ingredient into every ReGrained product, starting with SuperGrain+ Bars wrapped in innovative 100% backyard compostable packaging. Their mission doesn’t stop at waste ─ they are a Certified B Corp and support environmental conservation and social impact through 1% for the Planet. About Our Partner This episode is also brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country’s fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor’s “Best Places to Work”, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. Connect with Daniel Kurzrock and ReGrained ReGrained - https://www.regrained.com/ Invest in ReGrained - https://wefunder.com/regrained Wefunder discount through Just Go Grind - https://wefunder.com/raisemoney/justgogrind Some of the Topics Covered by Daniel Kurzrock in this Episode What ReGrained is doing to build a more sustainable food system Why Dan decided to tackle this problem How Dan turned his idea into a real business Why Dan didn't drop everything to go all-in on ReGrained right away How ReGrained was acquiring customers early on Why Dan wanted to be an ingredient company The insights gleamed along the way when trying to market ReGrained and the problem with their early slogan of "Eat Beer" How ReGrained Supergrain+ came about What upcycling is and why it's important The Upcycled Food Association and why Dan helped create it Doing research with the USDA Dan's experience raising capital for ReGrained and why they chose to do equity crowdfunding through Wefunder How Dan has gone about building his team at ReGrained Books that have been impactful for Dan How Dan recharges outside of work Sign up for The Weekly Grind, for actionable insights and stories from successful entrepreneurs delivered to your inbox once per week: https://www.justgogrind.com/newsletter/ Listen to all episodes of the Just Go Grind Podcast: https://www.justgogrind.com/podcast/ Follow Justin Gordon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/justingordon212 Follow Justin Gordon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justingordon8/
Daniel Kaplan, a Senior Associate at Generator Ventures ( https://generatorvc.com/ ) is passionate about advancing senior care and aging. Generator Ventures partners with exceptional entrepreneurs who are leveraging technology to transform the aging experience. They believe that when high-tech, high-touch solutions are built to address the massive opportunities and challenges of the aging population, all stakeholders − seniors, caregivers, payers, providers, investors, and society − will succeed. About Our Partner This episode is also brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country’s fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor’s “Best Places to Work”, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. Some of the Topics Covered by Daniel Kaplan in this Episode What Generator Ventures focuses on ($55M Fund, $1M-$3M checks) The value add of Generator Ventures and incredible team they have in the healthcare world Where Generator Ventures is sourcing deals from The number of new deals and follow on investments Generator Ventures typically is making in a year How COVID has impacted Generator Ventures The importance of speaking with customers as a VC and some of the questions Daniel typically asks How Generator Ventures supports their portfolio companies Daniel's experience as a mentor for Techstars' Future of Longevity Accelerator Go-to-market strategies in healthcare Some of the questions Daniel asks when he's reviewing the deck of a startup Why Daniel wanted to get into venture capital Opportunities within aging and senior care Value-based care What Daniel's role entails at Generator Ventures Sign up for The Weekly Grind, for actionable insights and stories from successful entrepreneurs delivered to your inbox once per week: https://www.justgogrind.com/newsletter/ Listen to all episodes of the Just Go Grind Podcast: https://www.justgogrind.com/podcast/ Follow Justin Gordon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/justingordon212 Follow Justin Gordon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justingordon8/
Amelia Lin is the Co-Founder & CEO of Saga, a voice based social app to stay close with family and friends. They help families save the life stories of loved ones on audio--it's like getting a personal podcast of your Grandma's childhood stories. Saga sends weekly prompts - they record and share. It's easy for anyone to use, they can dial a number from their phone to record, even without the app. Learn more at https://trysaga.com (They're hiring) About Our Partner This episode is also brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country’s fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor’s “Best Places to Work”, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. Some of the Topics Covered by Amelia Lin in this Episode What Saga is and how it works How Saga got started and what the initial version consisted of The evolution of Saga into an audio product Manually sending question prompts in the early days How Amelia decided what to charge early on for the product Amelia's experience fundraising for Saga and what she changed from her first time fundraising to her second time Use of funds for Saga after fundraising How Amelia is building her team and what she's looking for in new team members What's fueled the growth of Saga up until this point How Amelia is developing the product itself The various use cases for Saga How the different question packs are created for Saga The business model today with Saga How to continuously iterate on making a better social app The conversations with Amelia and her team around creating a magical experience with Saga Amelia's thoughts on whether she thought she'd be an entrepreneur at this point in her life Books that have been impactful for Amelia How Amelia recharges outside of work Sign up for The Weekly Grind, for actionable insights and stories from successful entrepreneurs delivered to your inbox once per week: https://www.justgogrind.com/newsletter/ Listen to all episodes of the Just Go Grind Podcast: https://www.justgogrind.com/podcast/ Follow Justin Gordon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/justingordon212 Follow Justin Gordon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justingordon8/
Jonny Price is the Director of Fundraising at Wefunder ( https://wefunder.com/ ) where he is working to empower entrepreneurs with capital and customers. He finds great entrepreneurs and helps them succeed on the Wefunder platform. About Our Partners This episode is also brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country’s fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor’s “Best Places to Work”, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. Some of the Topics Covered by Jonny Price in this Episode What Wefunder does What an accredited investor is The types of crowdfunding platforms and who should consider raising funds this way The process for an entrepreneur getting started with Wefunder How long the average crowdfunding campaigns takes from beginning to completion The pre-launch tasks a startup completes before their campaign goes live The benefits of regulation crowdfunding Potential downsides of crowdfunding Why thoughts around equity crowdfunding are evolving for VCs The process of getting a lead investor on Wefunder The two main value props of Wefunder The types of capital raised through Wefunder What separates Wefunder from other equity crowdfunding platforms How Jonny decided to join Wefunder The potential lift of the cap on regulation crowdfunding from $1.07M to $5M Wefunder being on track from $7M of investment volume this month The minimum and average investment on Wefunder Some of the best companies to come out of Wefunder What's next for crowdfunding Sign up for The Weekly Grind, for actionable insights and stories from successful entrepreneurs delivered to your inbox once per week: https://www.justgogrind.com/newsletter/ Listen to all episodes of the Just Go Grind Podcast: https://www.justgogrind.com/podcast/ Follow Justin Gordon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/justingordon212 Follow Justin Gordon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justingordon8/
Brentt Baltimore is a Principal at Greycroft. Based in the Los Angeles office, Brentt focuses on investment opportunities in enterprise software. He has led Greycroft’s investments in Mapped, Agni, Craft, and Smrt. Brentt is a Kauffman Fellow and a member of Class 25. Prior to joining Greycroft, Brentt led business development at Operator Inc., a venture stage company in the conversational commerce space and worked on technology commercialization at Numenta Inc., a machine intelligence research company. Brentt was also an Associate at Detroit Venture Partners. He began his career in investment banking at Credit Suisse in Los Angeles. Brentt graduated from Claremont McKenna College with a BA in Economics and holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. About Our Partners This episode is also brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country’s fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor’s “Best Places to Work”, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. Some of the Topics Covered by Brentt Baltimore in this Episode What areas Greycroft is focused on Why Brentt wanted to get involved with venture capital and what was most appealing to him How Brentt joined Detroit Venture Partners The business of VC Why Brentt decided to get operator experience between venture roles Getting an MBA How Brentt ended up at Greycroft and why he chose it Why Brentt became a Kauffman Fellow and what the experience is like What early-stage founders need to know about raising capital Understand your "why" as a founder and being able to tell your story How Brentt is helping improve diversity in startups and venture capital with BLCK VC How early-stage founders should think through equity splits The operating and investing side of scaling a startup The most impactful book for Brentt Sign up for The Weekly Grind, for actionable insights and stories from successful entrepreneurs delivered to your inbox once per week: https://www.justgogrind.com/newsletter/ Listen to all episodes of the Just Go Grind Podcast: https://www.justgogrind.com/podcast/ Follow Justin Gordon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/justingordon212 Follow Justin Gordon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justingordon8/
As Principal at Sway Ventures, Brett Munster focuses most of his investment activities on the seed and earlier stages for the fund. In addition to evaluating new investments, Brett’s responsibilities include coordinating the due diligence process across all investment opportunities for the fund, monitoring the performance of the fund and modeling portfolio allocation, and working directly with many of Sway’s existing portfolio companies. Brett draws on his experience as a two-time entrepreneur and former operations executive to assist early-stage companies in their growth. Prior to joining Sway Ventures, Brett ran day-to-day operations for AMO, a loss mitigation company, where he oversaw a portfolio of distressed assets that grew to over $2 billion. Brett began his career at zAthlete.com, a sports social networking startup that he launched during his final semester at UC Berkeley and sold in 2009. Soon after, Brett launched his second start-up Visual Icon, a platform designed to help bring Hollywood content online. Brett graduated from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley and was an infielder and captain of the baseball team. He also holds an MBA from the University of Southern California where his focus was on entrepreneurship and technology commercialization. About Our Partner This episode is also brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country’s fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor’s “Best Places to Work”, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. Some of the Topics Covered by Brett Munster in this Episode An overview of Sway Ventures Why Brett wanted to get into venture capital Networking for a year to get his job at Sway Ventures How Brett's startup experience has influenced his time at Sway Ventures Brett's experience at a sports social network that was eventually acquired Why Brett decided to get an MBA from USC What Brett actually did to break into venture capital What the day-to-day looks like for Brett as a venture capitalist at Sway Ventures Navigating the global pandemic with portfolio companies at Sway Ventures The typical challenges startups face and how Brett is helping them through these at Sway Ventures How a startup can hire top talent Equity splits for founders How founder roles change as a company scales How Brett prioritizes his time each day Sign up for The Weekly Grind, for actionable insights and stories from successful entrepreneurs delivered to your inbox once per week: https://www.justgogrind.com/newsletter/ Listen to all episodes of the Just Go Grind Podcast: https://www.justgogrind.com/podcast/ Follow Justin Gordon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/justingordon212 Follow Justin Gordon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justingordon8/
Jeroen Corthout is the Co-Founder of Salesfare ( https://salesflare.com/ ) a simple yet powerful CRM that automates your data to build better relationships and make more sales. It's a fast, visual and easy-to-use sales machine. Built on happiness with the latest tech, by humans for humans. Salesflare is the most popular CRM ever on both Product Hunt and AppSumo. It also got featured on TechCrunch and Entrepreneur.com. You can set it up in just a minute at salesflare.com. About Our Partner This episode is also brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country’s fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor’s “Best Places to Work”, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. Some of the Topics Covered by Jeroen Corthout in this Episode What Salesflare is and who it's focused on Why Jeroen decided to start a CRM company and the problem he was solving solving How the Salesflare product itself is different from the other 600 CRMs available on the market The impact of Salesflare's Product Hunt and AppSumo launch Bringing in more than 5,000 people through AppSumo What Jeroen did to prepare for their Product Hunt launch Issues that came up after the huge AppSumo launch The customer acquisition strategy for Salesflare after their launches The content marketing machine Jeroen built for Salesflare and the focus on SEO while making the content shareable on social media Tools that Jeroen uses on the content marketing side of the business Jeroen's incubator and accelerator experience Jeroen's fundraising experience The Founder Coffee series Jeroen started The traction Salesflare has achieved so far The big vision for Salesflare Jeroen's favorite books Why Jeroen offers bonuses to employees who get enough sleep How Jeroen recharges outside of work Sign up for The Weekly Grind, for actionable insights and stories from successful entrepreneurs delivered to your inbox once per week: https://www.justgogrind.com/newsletter/ Listen to all episodes of the Just Go Grind Podcast: https://www.justgogrind.com/podcast/ Follow Justin Gordon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/justingordon212 Follow Justin Gordon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justingordon8/
Rick Smith is a Co-Founder and Managing Director at Crosscut, one of the top venture capital firms in Los Angeles. Crosscut is a seed-stage venture capital firm, looking to invest $1-3 million in early-stage companies with hyper-growth potential. About Our Partners This episode is also brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country’s fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor’s “Best Places to Work”, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. Some of the Topics Covered by Rick Smith in this Episode An overview of Crosscut, including how much they invest and the areas they invest in How the global pandemic has impacted Crosscut How many meetings Rick is having with entrepreneurs before a term sheet now vs. pre-COVID What a first meeting vs. the next few meetings look like for a founder talking with Crosscut in the 2-4 weeks before a term sheet is offered Seeing 4,000 - 5,000 business plans per year, doing 400 - 500 meetings, making 10 investments The process of finding a Chief of Staff for Crosscut and why they decided to pursue including this role at the firm PledgeLA, investing in South LA, and diversity & inclusion initiatives Rick's advice around hiring for startups How Crosscut is investing in becoming the firm of the future Equity splits for founders Deal flow at Crosscut and why they co-invest Investing in first-time founders vs. repeat founders Rick's first exit at Crosscut Rick's advice for others looking to become investors Investing out of Crosscut V Sign up for The Weekly Grind, for actionable insights and stories from successful entrepreneurs delivered to your inbox once per week: https://www.justgogrind.com/newsletter/ Listen to all episodes of the Just Go Grind Podcast: https://www.justgogrind.com/podcast/ Follow Justin Gordon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/justingordon212 Follow Justin Gordon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justingordon8/
Ambyr Childers ( https://www.ambyrchilders.com/ ) actress and entrepreneur, started her namesake jewelry line with a desire to create timeless pieces that inspire and empower those who wear them. From early on, Ambyr had a special connection with her grandmother who taught her that jewelry holds an invaluable truth and can be worn as a talisman to empower a woman's strength in her femininity. Learning the stories behind each treasured relic sparked the desire to embrace her heritage and the ancient symbols that surround it. Raised by her entreprenurial parents and beloved grandmother, it came as no surprise when she felt a yearning to create something meaningful of her own to share with the world. So, as a token of beauty and a celebration of women and friendship, her signature design, the Rise Totem, was born. Encompassing the heart and soul of the brand, it is meant to serve as a daily reminder of our inner strength and connection with the feminine force. Ambyr Childers’ jewelry is thoughtfully designed and crafted with the hope and intention of being cherished forever. Their mission is to delicately capture the magic of ancestry, infuse meaning and symbolism into luxurious yet practical jewelry, and embolden the wearer to Rise and Shine. About Our Partners This episode is also brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country’s fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor’s “Best Places to Work”, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. Some of the Topics Covered by Ambyr Childers in this Episode How Ambyr's entrepreneurial parents impacted her Why Ambyr decided to really take her jewelry company serious The constant shifting of priorities as an entrepreneur What Ambyr's day-to-day looks like now Managing running a business as a solo founder How social media impacts Ambyr's business What Ambyr's social media strategy looks like today How Ambyr uses social media and email to engage with people How Ambyr designed her staple jewelry piece for her brand Developing new products Partnerships The biggest challenges for Ambyr as a first-time founder How Ambyr sources her products and the importance of getting mentorship What's next for Ambyr's company and where she's looking to expand Balancing acting with a business Why Ambyr decided to become an actress Books that have been helpful for Ambyr as an entrepreneur How Ambyr was able to land a prominent role in the show You on Netflix How Ambyr Childers recharges Staying true to your mission as an entrepreneur Sign up for The Weekly Grind, for actionable insights and stories from successful entrepreneurs delivered to your inbox once per week: https://www.justgogrind.com/newsletter/ Listen to all episodes of the Just Go Grind Podcast: https://www.justgogrind.com/podcast/ Follow Justin Gordon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/justingordon212 Follow Justin Gordon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justingordon8/
Mubashar Iqbal, who goes by Mubs, loves making things. He's been making things since he was about 8 years old. He made so many things he was selected as ProductHunt's maker of the year for 2016, runner up in 2015 and 2017. Some of Mubs' recent projects include Founderpath, One Hour SaaS, Indiehackers.tv, and Pod Hunt, but he's created many more. About Our Partner This episode is also brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country’s fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor’s “Best Places to Work”, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. Some of the Topics Covered by Mubs in this Episode What Mubs is working on now How Mubs decided to work on Founderpath Why Mubs works on the projects he chooses to work on Ideas are everywhere How little Mubs sleeps Things that make Mubs say no to an idea to work on The number of products Mubs is still maintaining How Mubs' previous products help him grow his personal brand The importance of putting your ideas out into the world A day in the life for Mubs How Mubs approaches distribution for new products Making money from side projects vs. creating products for fun Selling your product and why if you've already tried to monetize your product it'll be more unattractive to buyers The No-Code movement Tips Mubs has for other people who are working remotely Ideas from Mubs' Trello board that he wants people to work on Mubs' advice for other makers Sign up for The Weekly Grind, for actionable insights and stories from successful entrepreneurs delivered to your inbox once per week: https://www.justgogrind.com/newsletter/ Listen to all episodes of the Just Go Grind Podcast: https://www.justgogrind.com/podcast/ Follow Justin Gordon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/justingordon212 Follow Justin Gordon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justingordon8/
Dr. Sophia Yen is Board Certified in Adolescent Medicine with 20+ years of experience in medicine. She graduated from MIT, UCSF Medical School, and UC Berkeley with an MPH in Maternal Child Health. She serves as a clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Adolescent Medicine at Stanford Medical School. Dr. Yen co-founded Pandia Health https://www.pandiahealth.com/ and enjoys educating the public and other physicians about birth control, acne, weight management, and other adolescent health issues. She has been featured in many publications for her work in reproductive health and as CEO of Pandia Health. About Pandia Health: #SkipTheTrip to the pharmacy each month! Avoid unnecessary infectious exposure! Never run out of birth control again! If you are on the birth control pill/patch/ring, try Pandia Health. Pandia Health delivers a year’s supply of birth control, free delivery to your mailbox, automatic renewal. They take almost all private insurances except for Kaiser. If you have an active prescription (at a pharmacy or have your doctor send it in), the delivery service is FREE. If you need a prescription, For AZ/CA/FL/TX/WY peeps,they can provide a doctor consult for $20. Enter code JustGoGrind for $5 off your telemedicine visit. If you have insurance, the medications are "Free" = no copay, no deductible. If you do not have insurance, most pills are $15/pack. About Our Partners This episode is also brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country’s fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor’s “Best Places to Work”, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. Some of the Topics Covered by Dr. Sophia Yen in this Episode What Pandia Health is and how it got started How Dr. Sophia Yen tested the idea for Pandia Health initially What Dr. Sophia did to make Pandia Health into a real business early on The importance of content in the growth strategy behind Panida Health The business model behind Pandia Health Fundraising for Pandia Health and the use of funds The content strategy Pandia Health uses How COVID has impacted Pandia Health and what people need to know about telehealth and telemedicine How Dr. Sophia went about building partnerships for Pandia Health Culture-fit at Pandia Health Keeping advertising in-house vs. outsourcing What Pandia Health is focused on today What women should know about their health and how technology now allows women to "turn off" their period How Dr. Sophia Yen decided to get into medicine in the first place How Dr. Sophia Yen's past experiences influenced how she runs Pandia Health (And how her accounting background proved to be important) What other entrepreneurs interested in starting a health startup should think about How Dr. Sophia Yen recharges outside of work Why it's important to build your support team as an entrepreneur Sign up for The Weekly Grind, for actionable insights and stories from successful entrepreneurs delivered to your inbox once per week: https://www.justgogrind.com/newsletter/ Listen to all episodes of the Just Go Grind Podcast: https://www.justgogrind.com/podcast/ Follow Justin Gordon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/justingordon212 Follow Justin Gordon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justingordon8/
Gooroo ( https://www.gooroo.com/ ) founder and CEO Scott Lee is on a mission to reimagine education, unlock every student’s potential, and promote lifelong learning for all. Born in Seoul, South Korea, Lee relocated to the United States with his family at the age of 16 without knowing a word of English. Through constant support from his parents, and with the help of tutors and mentors, he worked hard and constantly challenged himself to succeed. About Our Partner This episode is brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country’s fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor’s “Best Places to Work”, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. Some of the Topics Covered by Scott Lee in this Episode What Gooroo is and how it got started Scott's experience in the Korean army for two years and how it impacted him How Scott started his past company, Mud Cafe What the initial version of Gooroo looked like How Scott found the technical talent to build Gooroo early on What Scott did to acquire his first customers How the business model for Gooroo evolved into a membership model Why Scott and his team are launching Gooroo courses How Scott prioritizes which content his team creates at Gooroo How Gooroo has acquired instructors for their platform and why transparency is so important How Scott uses feedback from students to impact which products and services Gooroo provides Why Scott partnered with the Department of Education Scott's approach to partnerships with Gooroo The biggest challenge of growing Gooroo How Gooroo has been impacted by COVID How Scott's time is spent day-to-day now at Gooroo Innovation in education The impact of Scott's father on his life The big vision for Gooroo moving forward Sign up for The Weekly Grind, for actionable insights and stories from successful entrepreneurs delivered to your inbox once per week: https://www.justgogrind.com/newsletter/ Listen to all episodes of the Just Go Grind Podcast: https://www.justgogrind.com/podcast/ Follow Justin Gordon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/justingordon212 Follow Justin Gordon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justingordon8/
Matt Lombardi is a Co-Founder of Beam ( https://beamtlc.com/ ). He's on a mission to reimagine health and wellness, is a former professional hockey player, entrepreneur, and avid CrossFitter. Kevin Moran is also a Co-Founder of Beam. He's on a mission to humanize CBD with education first. He's a former professional baseball player with the Chicago White Sox organization, CrossFitter, Ironman, and marathon runner. Beam is a Massachusetts-based wellness company founded by Matt Lombardi and Kevin Moran, both former professional athletes, offering THC-free, phytocannabinoid-rich CBD products, made from naturally grown hemp in Colorado. Noticing a lack of transparency in the CBD wellness market, Beam offers consumers a line of rigorously tested CBD products with high-quality natural ingredients. Built with an entrepreneurial spirit in mind, Beam marries the concepts of health, wellness, and an active lifestyle free of any physical or mental barriers. Beam believes that all-natural cannabinoids have the ability to unlock significant health benefits, which will ultimately aid customers on their journey to “find their better.” About Our Partners This episode is also brought to you by Toptal. Toptal is an exclusive network of the top freelance software developers, designers, finance experts, product managers, and project managers in the world. Top companies hire Toptal freelancers for their most important projects. This episode is brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country’s fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor’s “Best Places to Work”, 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. Some of the Topics Covered by Matt and Kevin in this Episode How Matt and Kevin decided to start a company together Some of the questions they asked their potential customers initially What Matt and Kevin did to get customers in the early days How they sourced their product initially The angle they took to sell their product in the beginning How Matt and Kevin thought through branding at Beam from the early days Customer acquisition for Beam Working with a digital marketing agency vs. handling marketing in-house How Matt and Kevin have gone about building an influencer program for Beam Getting the initial $700K from a family and friends round How they go about obtaining the highest quality product possible What Matt and Kevin have done to grow their team at Beam How Matt and Kevin's role as Co-Founders has evolved What communication is like between Matt and Kevin What Matt and Kevin have enjoyed most about the experience of building Beam How Matt and Kevin recharge outside of work The importance of pushing yourself physically to perform well mentally Matt and Kevin's book recommendations Listen to all episodes: https://www.justgogrind.com/podcast/
Karl Alomar is a Managing Partner at M13, a serial entrepreneur, and he's built and/or sold high growth businesses in various market segments. He has an MBA from Columbia Business School in New York and a BEng in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from Imperial College London. He has a strong technology pedigree and over 20 years experience in executive management roles in institutionally funded businesses. M13 is a Venture Engine, a full-service venture firm that provides the platform for founding teams to create and develop high-growth businesses. M13 injects capital to fuel high growth while helping founding teams fill gaps in their businesses through their Propulsion Team, which provides strategic counsel, operational expertise, and a constellation of talent, experts, and resources to accelerate growth. Where they see whitespace in an industry, their Launchpad develops the right founding teams, products, and practices to incubate and launch an idea from inception. About Our Partners This episode is brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country's fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor's "Best Places to Work", 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. This episode is also brought to you by Toptal. Toptal is an exclusive network of the top freelance software developers, designers, finance experts, product managers, and project managers in the world. Top companies hire Toptal freelancers for their most important projects. Connect with Karl Alomar and M13 M13 LinkedIn Twitter Instagram Karl@m13.co Some of the Topics Covered by Karl Alomar in this Episode M13 Details: $190M Venture Fund based out of LA and NY Focused on consumer technology businesses Invest in Series A and late seed $2M-$7M $500K check for their feeder program A team of former operators Built a team of executives and platform at M13 How M13 works with their portfolio founders How M13 operates week to week What the dealflow for M13 looks like Why Karl decided to get into VC "Build what you love" and how Karl decided which businesses he wanted to start throughout his career Some of the first things Karl did to help Digital Ocean grow to $250M+ ARR The growth levers Karl used to scale Digital Ocean to hundreds of millions in revenue Scaling the team at Digital Ocean and one of the biggest mistakes they made early on Going through a culture crisis, losing 30-40% of their engineering team at Digital Ocean in a year, and the massive undertaking of resetting an entire culture of a company The importance of trust and leadership in a culture Karl's advice around decision making and the importance of being decisive What Karl looks for at M13 in the companies they invest in The characteristics of founders that grab Karl's attention What people interested in getting into Venture Capital should think about and why getting some operating experience is very important How Karl is building his team at M13 How Karl recharges outside of work What Karl's day-to-day looks like today Links from the Episode Ben Uretsky Digital Ocean Matt Hoffman Marie Sokolovsky
Matthew Loper is the Co-Founder and CEO of Wellth, a company that uses behavioral economics to drastically improve care plan adherence in patients with chronic conditions. This improvement to adherence allows risk-bearing providers to reduce readmissions, health insurers to reduce the total cost of care, and life insurers to confidently underwrite underserved customer populations like type 2 diabetics. About Our Partners This episode is brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country's fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor's "Best Places to Work", 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. This episode is also brought to you by Toptal. Toptal is an exclusive network of the top freelance software developers, designers, finance experts, product managers, and project managers in the world. Top companies hire Toptal freelancers for their most important projects. Connect with Matthew Loper and Wellth Wellth Facebook Twitter Instagram LinkedIn Some of the Topics Covered by Matthew Loper in this Episode What Wellth is and how it got started How Matthew transitioned from healthcare investing to entrepreneurship Aligning the incentives of payers, providers, and patients in healthcare The first thing Matthew did to validate the idea for Wellth How Matthew made an educated bet on product-market fit for Wellth Why it consistently takes 5 years for healthcare companies to get to a Series A Conversations with Matthew and his family when he decided to quit his nice job to start a company Why Matthew didn't want to raise too much money early on with Wellth Why Matthew didn't take a salary for 3 years How Matthew convinced his Co-Founder to leave a great company to join him at Wellth The initial product for Wellth and why they've made lots of adjustments along the way How Matthew got the first people enrolled in Wellth The growth of Wellth and what's fueled it over the past few years How Matt has gone about growing the team at Wellth The process of fundraising for Wellth The challenges other entrepreneurs in healthcare should think about The standard patient journey when working with Wellth How most of Matt's time is spent now at Wellth How Matt prioritizes which partners he wants to work with What Matt does to invest in his own mental health and performance as a Founder and CEO How Matt lost 15lbs during the pandemic utilizing fasting Matt's favorite book Links from the Episode Livongo Teladoc AbleTo United Healthcare Axa Venture Partners Richard Thaler Iman Abuzeid Strava Shoe Dog
Ruben is the Co-Founder at Swoop, where he is responsible for operations, marketing, people & hiring, and fundraising efforts. Prior to joining Swoop, he spent four years working for Google and Facebook, helping scale new programs such as Workplace by Facebook globally and Google’s Agency Landscape in Europe. Ruben was born in Germany, spending his childhood years there, prior to moving to the US. He holds a BSc in Finance from Maastricht University and graduated as Valedictorian from the Rotterdam School of Management. About Our Partners This episode is brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country's fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor's "Best Places to Work", 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. This episode is also brought to you by Toptal. Toptal is an exclusive network of the top freelance software developers, designers, finance experts, product managers, and project managers in the world. Top companies hire Toptal freelancers for their most important projects. Connect with Ruben Schultz and Swoop Swoop Facebook Twitter Instagram Some of the Topics Covered by Ruben Schultz in this Episode What Swoop is, what the industry looks like today, and the problem Ruben and his team is solving How Ruben got people on the Swoop platform initially The challenge Ruben and his team are focused on right now How Ruben prioritizes product development Why Ruben decided to leave Facebook to start a company The conversation with Ruben and his parents when he wanted to leave Facebook How Swoop was funded initially Choosing a career path based not just on the short-term money you'll make, but the connections and upside you'll have in the future The thinking Ruben and his co-founders had around splitting equity Moving from tier 3 to tier 2 to tier 1 investors when fundraising The business models behind Swoop How COVID impacted Swoop and how they shifted to moving goods as well as people How Ruben and his team are evaluating which markets to get into Roles and responsibilities with Ruben and his co-founders What the big vision is for Swoop Why Swoop is so obsessed with their customers The biggest challenge Ruben faces as a first-time founder How Ruben manages the stress of running a startup Links from the Episode Crossing the Chasm Swupnil Sahai Stripe Twilio SendGrid Brian Conyer Notion Shopify Superhuman
Taylor Nieman is the Co-Founder & CEO of Toucan, the free Chrome extension that helps you learn a language without even trying. Previously, she worked on business development and strategic partnerships at Headspace, Science, and Fair. Toucan is a new, immersive way to learn while you go about your daily life. Learning a new language is challenging, fun, and rewarding. It also takes time, practice, and dedication - finding a few extra minutes in the day can feel impossible. At Toucan, they know creating a new habit is one of the most difficult things to do. Their Founding team has a deep understanding and appreciation for human habits, behavior, and the science of learning. Their free Chrome extension helps you learn without having to put aside time to create a new habit. Toucan works by immersing you in the language while you’re browsing the web. What’s even better is that you’ll see those words in the context of sentences - helping your brain connect the word to its useful meaning. Taylor and her team created Toucan to help people make more use of their time, without missing out on the fun and satisfaction of learning a new language. About Our Partners This episode is brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country's fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor's "Best Places to Work", 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. This episode is also brought to you by Toptal. Toptal is an exclusive network of the top freelance software developers, designers, finance experts, product managers, and project managers in the world. Top companies hire Toptal freelancers for their most important projects. Connect with Taylor Nieman and Toucan Toucan Twitter LinkedIn taylor.nieman@jointoucan.com Some of the Topics Covered by Taylor Nieman in this Episode How Taylor decided to start Toucan and go with a browser extension as their first vertical Founder-market fit and how Taylor chose to work in this particular space How Taylor met her two Co-Founders, Brandon Dietz and Shaun Merritt How Taylor has gone about scaling Toucan without paid acquisition The "Own the Word" campaign Taylor and her team created at Toucan The impact of being a top product on Product Hunt How Taylor iterates on the Toucan product itself The fundraising experience for Taylor and Toucan The business model behind Toucan How Taylor prioritizes strategic partnerships What Taylor has looked for in people as she's grown her team The challenges Taylor is working through now after raising $3M How COVID impacted what Taylor is doing at Toucan How Taylor recharges outside fo work Where Taylor's interest in technology comes from and how she taught herself how to code The conversations around equity with Taylor and her Co-Founders Taylor's advice around fundraising Taylor's biggest takeaway from the last year of growing Toucan The grand vision of Toucan The strategy behind the name of Taylor's company Links from the Episode Pray Science Incubator Fair Product Hunt Own the Word Rand Fishkin SparkToro Headspace Venture Deals
Sean Matson is the Co-Founder & CEO of MATBOCK, a company that is run by retired Navy SEALS and whose staff are also former US Military Veterans. The company creates and develops products that fill a need in the real world, whether it's hunting, camping, hiking, going on adventures, for law enforcement or for soldiers while at war. They work closely with the US Military and have been contracted to create products for them that use new technologies to make whatever products lighter, better, and more versatile. Their top-selling products include Auto-focus for Night Vision Goggles, Dry Bags, Cobra Sled (a mountain rescue litter), S-LIFT (poles and ladders for hunters), Reaper Hunting Vest and others. They just also signed a $1 million deal with law enforcement in America for new products to help everyone be safer. About Our Partners This episode is brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country's fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor's "Best Places to Work", 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. This episode is also brought to you by Toptal. Toptal is an exclusive network of the top freelance software developers, designers, finance experts, product managers, and project managers in the world. Top companies hire Toptal freelancers for their most important projects. Connect with Sean Matson and MATBOCK MATBOCK LinkedIn Twitter Instagram Facebook Some of the Topics Covered by Sean Matson in this Episode How Sean started MATBOCK The distribution strategy behind MATBOCK Building an unsexy product through fulfilling a real need How MATBOCK is run like a private equity group Working with distributors, the government, and procurement officers The challenges of distribution How Sean goes through the process of product development How Sean is handling the manufacturing side of the business Why Sean decided to become a Navy SEAL What Hell Week is actually like as a Navy SEAL and Sean's biggest struggle making it through How Sean's Navy SEAL experience influences how he runs MATBOCK Team building and how Sean has grown his team at MATBOCK The biggest adjustment going from a Navy SEAL to an entrepreneur How Sean recharges away from work Links from the Episode NSW Cole Zucker Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business The Rise of Superman: Decoding the Science of Ultimate Human Performance
Swupnil Sahai is the Co-Founder & CEO of SwingVision and previously worked on the autopilot team at Tesla. SwingVision is building A.I. for athletes. Their app provides real-time, on-device video analysis and coaching using proprietary A.I. on just a single smartphone. They were recently featured in the Apple 2020 Fall Keynote event and are backed by investors Andy Roddick, James Blake and Techstars. About Our Partners This episode is brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country's fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor's "Best Places to Work", 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. This episode is also brought to you by Toptal. Toptal is an exclusive network of the top freelance software developers, designers, finance experts, product managers, and project managers in the world. Top companies hire Toptal freelancers for their most important projects. Connect with Swupnil Sahai and SwingVision SwingVision LinkedIn Twitter Instagram Facebook Some of the Topics Covered by Swupnil Sahai in this Episode Getting featured in the Apple Keynote What SwingVision is and how it got started Pivoting from an Apple Watch app to an app for your iPhone or tablet Making a decision to leave Tesla to start SwingVision Swupnil's experience working on the autopilot team at Tesla... 10 feet from Elon Musk's desk Why Swupnil's parents were so supportive of his decision to leave Tesla and start SwingVision Getting Andy Roddick and James Blake as investors in SwingVision How Swupnil explains such a technical product to people who aren't experts How Swupnil has gone about customer acquisition The team behind SwingVision and how Swupnil has grown it over time Prioritization and how Swupnil looks at who to partner with Swupnil's experience in the Techstars accelerator and why he decided to go through it in the first place How Swupnil iterates on the product itself to make it easier to use Gamification and how they implement it with SwingVision How Swupnil consistently gathers user feedback for SwingVision Pricing and how Swupnil figured it out for SwingVision so far The transition from employee to founder What Swupnil learned from Elon Musk Some of Swupnil's favorite books Links from the Episode Tesla Andy Roddick James Blake Techstars SportsTech Accelerator Tennis Australia Strava Superhuman Product-Market Fit Zero to One The Lean Startup
Tom is the CEO and Co-founder of GameSense Sports. For the past decade, Tom has been designing and building sports-related technologies. He helped build several sport technology companies serving as Director of Product Development for Cyton8 Sports and NeuroSport Performance. He was Director of Sports Science and Performance at Elite Sports Services as well. He has helped develop multiple devices and software designed to test and train high-speed decision-making, situational decision-making, attention and autonomic control. Tom played college football at Humboldt State University. Following college, Tom was invited to play and later coach in the European football leagues. When Tom isn’t chasing around a very active 3-year old he enjoys playing music, gardening, biking, hiking and snowboarding. About Our Partners This episode is brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country's fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor's "Best Places to Work", 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. This episode is also brought to you by Toptal. Toptal is an exclusive network of the top freelance software developers, designers, finance experts, product managers, and project managers in the world. Top companies hire Toptal freelancers for their most important projects. Connect with Tom Pardikes and GameSense Sports GameSense Sports LinkedIn Twitter Instagram Facebook Some of the Topics Covered by Tom Pardikes in this Episode What GameSense is and how it got started How Tom started working with professional sports teams What the MVP for GameSense Sports looked like How Tom financed the company initially Why Tom decided to go through the Techstars accelerator with GameSense Sports and the traction they had prior to applying The business model behind GameSense Sports How Tom is going about educating potential customers for his product The importance of creating a unique metric for GameSense Sports Building trust with customers How Tom looks at expanding into other sports besides baseball and softball The factors Tom is considering when deciding which markets to expand into The biggest challenge of being a first-time founder Impactful books for Tom How Tom recharges away from work Links from the Episode Duolingo Holger Seim Techstars Eric Cressey Todd Durkin How to Win Friends and Influence People What You Do Is Who You Are The Art of War Blinkist Zach Evans
Tara Viswanathan is the Co-Founder & CEO of Rupa Health, a functional medicine platform streamlining the process of specialty labs for practitioners. Connect with Tara Viswanathan and Rupa Health Rupa Health LinkedIn Twitter Instagram Facebook Some of the Topics Covered by Tara Viswanathan in this Episode What Rupa Health is and how it started The initial iteration of Rupa Health How Tara initially got people on the Rupa Health platform How Tara got the first prototype for Rupa Health built for only $800 Tara's business model for Rupa Health initially and how this was one of her biggest "mistakes" Tara's troubles in raising her Seed round and how raising a Pre-Seed round was actually a blessing Tara's experience raising a $250K Pre-Seed Round Conversations around splitting up equity and why Tara changed her mind after initially decided an amount Why relative equity is more important than absolute percentages How Tara is approaching growing Rupa Health today Tara's approach to hiring as she scales her company How Tara takes care of her own mental health Tara's journaling routine and how it helps her Tara's experience working with Wim Hof About Our Partners This episode is brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country's fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor's "Best Places to Work", 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. This episode is also brought to you by Toptal. Toptal is an exclusive network of the top freelance software developers, designers, finance experts, product managers, and project managers in the world. Top companies hire Toptal freelancers for their most important projects.
Sam Caucci is the Founder & CEO of 1Huddle. He has a firm belief that everybody that works hard deserves access to a job that prepares them and skills them up for work. His product is helping companies across the globe to make training more fun, effective and accessible for their entire workforce. 1Huddle is a workforce training platform that's getting people ready to work using quick-burst games. Leading the charge to help organizations, across the globe, better prepare their people for the workforce. Clients across multiple sectors including professional sports teams, politics/government, hospitality, retail, automotive, college/universities, and more. Featured on CNN, Fox News, CNBC, SKY News, Yahoo! Finance, The Huffington Post, Bloomberg, and The Wall Street Journal. Clients include: vineyard vines, Loews Hotels, ESPN, Audible (an Amazon Company), Novartis, UEFA, Madison Square Garden, the City of Newark, and more. They are proud to be supported by some of the world's best VC's and investors, including 500 Startups and Tribeca Venture Partners. Connect with Sam Caucci and 1Huddle 1Huddle LinkedIn Twitter Instagram YouTube Facebook Some of the Topics Covered by Sam Caucci in this Episode What 1Huddle is and how it started The customer discovery phase of 1Huddle and why Sam started with professional sports teams How Sam went about getting the tech talent to build his platform and why he started with an offshore dev team The business model of 1Huddle and how Sam grew the company through bootstrapping initially What the initial version of 1Huddle looked like How Sam adapts the platform to each company that uses it Why Sam decided to go through the 500 Startups accelerator and what he learned from the experience Raising a seed round within 4 months of completing 500 Startups When Sam decided to bring the technical talent in-house Sam's experience as a solo founder Customer acquisition strategy The land and expand strategy Sam uses on the sales front Setting up a sales team for 1Huddle Building a hiring pipeline with local universities How Sam figured out his ideal customer profile The biggest challenges Sam is thinking about today How Sam invests in himself as a founder and why he's read 70 books in the last year Sam's book suggestions Understanding what your own personal mission statement and values are Links from the Episode Monumental sports 500 Startups Y Combinator Techstars Goodmylk Crossing the Chasm Iman Abuzeid 7 Habits of Highly Effective People The Art of War Long Walk to Freedom His Truth Is Marching On: John Lewis and the Power of Hope Malcolm X Hardcore History About Our Partners This episode is brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country's fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor's "Best Places to Work", 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. This episode is also brought to you by Toptal. Toptal is an exclusive network of the top freelance software developers, designers, finance experts, product managers, and project managers in the world. Top companies hire Toptal freelancers for their most important projects.
Dr. Iman Abuzeid is the Co-founder and CEO of Incredible Health, a career marketplace whose custom matching technology offers hospitals the fastest, most effective way to hire qualified permanent nursing staff. By 2024, the United States is poised to experience its biggest employment crisis to date, a shortage of one million nurses, putting patient care in jeopardy and hospitals at risk of significant financial loss. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the nursing shortage, highlighting the need for qualified nurses across the country. Incredible Health is on a mission to reinvent the hospital and healthcare staffing landscape, helping to solve the nursing shortage. As a former medical doctor whose immediate family includes three surgeons, Iman understands the importance of helping healthcare professionals find and do their best work. Incredible Health is based in San Francisco, backed by top tier venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, and is used by hundreds of leading hospitals across the country, including Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Stanford Healthcare, Baylor Scott & White and many more. Dr. Abuzeid holds an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Connect with Iman Abuzeid and Incredible Health Incredible Health Incredible Health's Newly Enhanced Platform Free continuing education units Free nurse salary estimator LinkedIn Twitter Some of the Topics Covered by Iman Abuzeid in this Episode How Incredible Health got started Being 1 million nurses short in the U.S. by 2024 How Iman figured out what the initial version of Incredible Health would be Creating a solution that's 10x better than what's currently available How Iman met her co-founder, Rome, and the conversation around going into business together How Iman thought through the equity split early on Raising a few hundred thousand dollars from friends and family to get Incredible Health off the ground Raising a $2.4M Seed Round in 2-3 months after going through the NFX accelerator Raising a $15M Series A in 4-5 weeks led by Jeff Jordan at Andreessen Horowitz Iman's advice for fundraising and creating a process and how her own skills evolved How Iman brought on the first hospitals through cold-calling The MVP of Incredible Health and why you have to fight the urge to ship perfection How the team has grown for Incredible Health The values of Incredible Health and how it's part of everything they do How Incredible Health uses customer insights to develop their platform, operations, and marketing Why Incredible Health offers free continuing education for every nurse in the country How Iman thinks through the products and tools they're going to provide to their customers The sales process of getting hospitals on their platform The 3 biggest value adds of the investors Iman has for Incredible Health Questions that Iman asked of CEOs for reference checks on investors How Iman takes care of her own mental health and why she has a therapist How getting an MBA from Wharton impacted Iman's journey as an entrepreneur Books and blogs that Iman recommends How Iman recharges away from work and why she doesn't work on Saturdays Iman's experience as a minority woman founder Diversity debt Links from the Episode Rome Portlock NFX Jeff Jordan Andreessen Horowitz Obvious Ventures signal.nfx.com James Joaquin The Hard Thing About Hard Things Who (A book on hiring) Above the Crowd by Bill Gurley Stephanie Lampkin Blendoor About Our Partners This episode is brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country's fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor's "Best Places to Work", 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. This episode is also brought to you by Toptal. Toptal is an exclusive network of the top freelance software developers, designers, finance experts, product managers, and project managers in the world. Top companies hire Toptal freelancers for their most important projects.
Jack O'Holleran, Co-Founder and CEO of SKALE Labs, is a technology entrepreneur focused on blockchain and decentralized systems. SKALE is solving the blockchain scalability problem by facilitating processing between blockchains and decentralized applications, helping the ecosystem run hundreds of millions of smart contracts and transactions per second. Jack also maintains a strategic advisor role at Aktana which he co-founded in 2008. Aktana is the leading SaaS sales and marketing analytics platform for global life science companies. About Our Partners This episode is brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country's fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor's "Best Places to Work", 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. This episode is also brought to you by Toptal. Toptal is an exclusive network of the top freelance software developers, designers, finance experts, product managers, and project managers in the world. Top companies hire Toptal freelancers for their most important projects. Connect with Jack O'Holleran SKALE Labs Twitter LinkedIn Some of the Topics Covered by Jack O'Holleran in this Episode What Skale Labs is and how Jack decided to start it The idea of a user-owned economy What drew Jack into the world of cryptocurrency How Jack grew his team and brought his CTO on board Raising a $10M financing round and how Jack learned not to grow too fast The business model behind SKALE as a user-owned network What the SKALE token is and how it works The challenges in making the vision for SKALE Labs a reality Bringing on a number of math-focused engineers from Ukrain The differences in growth from Aktana and what Jack is doing at SKALE Labs Jack's advice for other entrepreneurs on fundraising Using investors as a barometer for your company Equity splits and how Jack thinks about them How Jack manages the short term and long term within SKALE Labs What led Jack to leave his company, Aktana, and start something new The difficulty in leaving a company you originally started Jack's book suggestions Links from the Episode Aktana SaaStr Mike Maples Floodgate Rick Thompson Signia Venture Partners Stan Kladko Cole Zucker Hey Hero Game of Thrones Dune Series Foundation Series
Brooke Harris is the Founder & CEO of Goodmylk Co. While living in L.A., the supposed “health food capital” of the U.S., Brooke’s health deteriorated for a period of time. Brooke decided to turn to an alternative, plant-based diet as a form of healing medicine. But to her surprise, she found her effort to ‘eat healthier’ was actually making her sicker. Through research, Brooke found that many of the binders, thickeners, emulsifiers and preservatives in otherwise “healthy” food were unnecessary and unhealthy. It was then that Brooke realized that she would have to create that ‘something better’. Brooke began to experiment with real food recipes that led to her own health transformation, and she wanted to share her passion with others. She went on to create GOODMYLKCO., a game-changing, industry disrupting plant-based milk product for the masses. Of course, it was not all smooth-sailing. When Brooke initially presented her idea to industry insiders and investors, it was met with skepticism on all fronts. They told her there is ‘good reason’ companies with scale do things a certain way (read:compromise the integrity of the product). For Brooke, this was not an option. She was hellbent on better. After many months of trial and error, Brooke finally developed a proprietary flash-blast freezing technique that allowed her to scale without compromising the nutritional integrity or flavor of her plant milks. And now, GOODMYLKCO. plant milks will soon be available nationwide. About Our Partners This episode is brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country's fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor's "Best Places to Work", 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. This episode is also brought to you by Toptal. Toptal is an exclusive network of the top freelance software developers, designers, finance experts, product managers, and project managers in the world. Top companies hire Toptal freelancers for their most important projects. Connect with Brooke Harris Goodmylk Co. LinkedIn Instagram Goodmylk Co. Instagram Some of the Topics Covered by Brooke Harris in this Episode What Goodmylk Co. is and how it got started The difficulties in creating high-quality almond milk How Brooke got started in a local farmer's market Why Brooke tested blast-freezing to create her product Brooke's traction with Goodmylk co. before she raised funding Raising $500K in her first round of funding after bootstrapping initially with just $1,500 in the bank Brooke's distribution strategy early on with Goodmylk Co. The use of funds for the initial $500K that Brooke raised How Brooke was able to get products into Blue Bottle Coffee and Soho House The differences in Brooke's first round of funding to her second round How Goodmylk evolved after the second round of funding and how Brooke shifted to a more scalable model The educational component of creating healthy plant-based products How the distribution strategy and customer acquisition strategy has evolved for Goodmylk Co. The challenges that COVID presented for Brooke and her company How Brooke thinks about new product development The importance of timing in launching a new product How Brooke has gone about building her team for Goodmylk Co. and how Predictive Index has been useful for her in the hiring process How Brooke looks at competition in her industry What Brooke does to recharge away from work Links from the Episode Blue Bottle Coffee Masters of Scale Vanessa Dew Soho House Jesse Scheff Predictive Index Jordi Hays Purple Cow Crossing the Chasm Food Fix
Jyri Engeström is the Co-Founder and General Partner at Yes VC, an early-stage venture capital firm based in San Francisco. They invest in the pre-seed and seed stages of companies set in motion by social movements. In his previous role at True Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm, he invested in e.g. Iceye, building a constellation of radar satellites to track climate change. As an angel investor he's invested in Moves (acquired by Facebook), Applifier (acquired by Unity), Betabrand, Oura and others. As an entrepreneur, he has founded, grown, and negotiated the acquisition of two mobile consumer companies: Jaiku, a mobile social network acquired by Google; and Ditto, a mobile local recommendations app acquired by Groupon. As an executive, he has run product teams. At Google, he was the product manager responsible for the Gmail mobile app, Mobile Calendar, and Google's social networking efforts. At Groupon, he was Director of Product Management on the executive team that started and grew Groupon’s point-of-sale and payments businesses. He was the Head of Product at Boosted, an electric vehicle company that created the Boosted Board electric skateboard. At Nokia, he was Sr. Product Manager of Internet Handhelds. He is also co-founder of Sesat School, a micro-school in San Francisco; and serve on the board of the Rare Cancer Research Foundation. He also co-owns a café in Helsinki. About Our Partners This episode is brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country's fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor's "Best Places to Work", 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. This episode is also brought to you by Toptal. Toptal is an exclusive network of the top freelance software developers, designers, finance experts, product managers, and project managers in the world. Top companies hire Toptal freelancers for their most important projects. Connect with Jyri Engeström Yes VC Twitter LinkedIn partners@yes.vc Some of the Topics Covered by Jyri in this Episode How Jyri decided to start Yes VC in 2018 with his life partner, Caterina Fake Why Yes VC is focused on social movements Making 20 investments and the $13M Fund he ended up raising The check size of Yes VC of $250K - $1.5M w/ the smallest bet of $30K How Jyri is managing his deal flow for Yes VC and what's happening in the early-stage venture capital world "Mango Seed" rounds of funding as a trend in VC The $6M fund of Rahul Vohra and $6.7M fund of Chris Sacca The dynamic of smaller funds and who they invest in Why 3 of 5 investments of Yes VC were invested at the moment of founding Finding potential founders before they even start companies and why Yes VC seeds ideas in smart people COVID in the town of Bolinas and they offered testing for ALL the residents The diligence process at Yes VC and why they focus on founder-product fit How many deals Jyri is looking at and what entrepreneurs need to understand about venture capitalists Why 50% of their investments are from their founder network or early angel investors looking for early-stage funds to lead the round "The obligatory point of passage" Why Jyri believes the best founders now are building portfolios Jyri's experience starting and selling Jaiku to Google Selling his second company, Ditto, to Groupon Links from the Episode True Ventures Caterina Fake Etsy Kickstarter Jerry Yang Phil Black Jon Callaghan Founders Fund Rahul Vohra Chris Sacca Entrepreneur First Y Combinator Blue Bottle Coffee Reconnect Softbank Jack Dorsey Indie Hackers Andrew Mason Descript
Matthew Stoudt is the CEO and Co-Founder of AppliedVR where he is pioneering virtual reality therapeutics (VRx), the next generation of digital therapeutics. Leveraging the unique therapeutic properties of VR, AppliedVR is on a mission to enable patients with chronic pain to improve their lives through safe, effective and self-administered VRx. AppliedVR is backed by leading institutions including the NIH via the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the VA, Cedars-Sinai, Cleveland Clinic, Geisinger and over 150 other institutions. Matthew is an accomplished entrepreneur who founded and built Outcast Media, the largest out of home digital media platform in the US, exiting to Verifone in 2014. Prior to Outcast, Matthew was an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at McDonald’s where he launched several successful businesses including a digital media platform in multiple countries. Matthew began his professional career in investment banking and private equity, having raised over $1 billion in growth capital for a variety of businesses across multiple sectors. Matthew earned his MBA at Kellogg Graduate School of Business graduating with honors and his BA from Northwestern University. Matthew is an avid traveler with a mission to visit every country in the world...if COVID will let him. About Our Partners This episode is brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country's fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor's "Best Places to Work", 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. This episode is also brought to you by Toptal. Toptal is an exclusive network of the top freelance software developers, designers, finance experts, product managers, and project managers in the world. Top companies hire Toptal freelancers for their most important projects. Connect with Matthew Stoudt AppliedVR LinkedIn Twitter AppliedVR LinkedIn AppliedVR Instagram AppliedVR Twitter AppliedVR Facebook AppliedVR YouTube Matthew@appliedvr.io Some of the Topics Covered by Matthew Stoudt in this Episode How AppliedVR got started How Matthew's wife sitting next to the CMO of Magic Leap on an airplane led Matthew to get into the world of VR What Matthew did to get AppliedVR off the ground Why the greatest impact for VR in healthcare is getting a device into patients' homes The impact of COVID on healthcare How Matthew has gone about building his team for AppliedVR Building the experience of AppliedVR's chronic pain platform Creating a proprietary biodata platform and transferring the experience into VR Combining hardware and software to create a solution for pain management Learnings from working with 60,000 patients and sending over 1,000 devices into patients' homes How Matthew and his team have gotten AppliedVR into the hands of as many patients as possible Partnerships and how they have helped AppliedVR build a trustworthy brand Why you have to tap into the entire healthcare ecosystem if you want to create real change Meeting an unmet need for patients, providers, and payers The fundraising process for AppliedVR and how they raised $23M Why it's important to be able to tell a compelling narrative New technology and how that impacts Matthew's vision for AppliedVR Why Matthew believes AppliedVR can become the CVS of VR How Matthew's time is spent day-to-day at AppliedVR Links from the Episode Magic Leap Oculus Real change through virtual reality IASP Pico Cedars-Sinai American Chronic Pain Association Beth Darnall
Holger Seim is the Co-Founder and CEO of Blinkist. Founded in 2012 by four friends, Blinkist now connects 15 million readers worldwide to the biggest ideas from bestselling nonfiction via 15-minute audio and text. About Our Partners This episode is brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country's fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor's "Best Places to Work", 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. This episode is also brought to you by Toptal. Toptal is an exclusive network of the top freelance software developers, designers, finance experts, product managers, and project managers in the world. Top companies hire Toptal freelancers for their most important projects. Connect with Holger Seim Blinkist LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Instagram Some of the Topics Covered by Holger Seim in this Episode What Blinkist is and how they're helping people fit more learning into their lives How Holger and his co-founders chose Blinkist over other ideas What Holger did first to get Blinkist off the ground How Blinkist raised money in 2012 without a product How Holger chooses which books to "blink" and what the blinks would include How Blinkist works with freelancers to breakdown books and why they look for subject matter experts How Holger and his team make each blink more engaging The legalities of the Blinkist business model Why Blinkist partners with authors and publishers and isn't cannibalizing book sales The challenges of book discovery The evolution of the Blinkist business model and how they look at pricing Early customer acquisition for Blinkist How Holger looks at allocation between different acquisition channels Deciding which influencers to work with Why testing is so important when creating a startup How Holger uses the Blinkist web app as a customer acquisition tool for the Blinkist app How the main call-to-action on the Blinkist homepage has evolved and why they offer a free trial now Holger seeing someone use Blinkist in real life for the first time Understanding how businesses actually impact people Company culture and how Holger's upbringing has impacted it Raising funds initially for Blinkist (150,000 Euros) The difference between raising your initial round of funding and subsequent rounds Some of the questions investors ask when you're raising a later round of funding How Holger and his co-founders looked at splitting equity and the roles between the founders Holger's approach to hiring and why he recommends hiring an HR generalist early on for a startup "Rich vs. King," and why Holger and his Co-Founders veer towards keeping control Holger's goal of reading 24 books in the year How COVID-19 has impacted Blinkist Links from the Episode Goodreads The New York Times Best Sellers Outbrain Taboola Hubble Contacts Mindset: The New Psychology of Success What You Do Is Who You Are
Omar Zenhom is the co-founder and CEO of WebinarNinja. Founded in 2014, over a million people have attended a webinar on WebinarNinja, and it has been named as one of the fastest-growing SaaS companies in 2018. Omar is also is the host of the iTunes Best of 2014 podcast, The $100 MBA Show. With over 130 million downloads and over 1,600 episodes, The $100 MBA Show is ranked as a top business podcast in over 30 countries. About Our Partners This episode is brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country's fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor's "Best Places to Work", 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. This episode is also brought to you by Toptal. Toptal is an exclusive network of the top freelance software developers, designers, finance experts, product managers, and project managers in the world. Top companies hire Toptal freelancers for their most important projects. Connect with Omar Zenhom The $100 MBA The $100 MBA Show on Apple Podcasts WebinarNinja WebinarnNinja Course WebinarNinja Facebook WebinarNinja Twitter LinkedIn Twitter Some of the Topics Covered by Omar Zenhom in this Episode How Omar started The $100 MBA Show Omar's 1st podcast, with 46 episodes of "People Who Know Their Shit" The importance of leveraging your strengths How Omar knew his first show was a failure and he decided to pivot Omar's experience at New Media Expo and how it influenced him starting a podcast The first few months of The $100 MBA Show and why Omar recorded the first 5 episodes multiple times Why Omar launched The $100 MBA Show with 30 episodes already recorded Growing to 10,000 downloads/episode after a few months of The $100 MBA Show launch Getting to 1,600+ episodes with 120,000 downloads/episode The importance of just getting started How Omar doubled down on the podcast and why he took voice lessons Why being consistent and focusing on the quality of the show is everything for growing a podcast How Omar and his team craft their curriculum for their show Why Omar decided to start WebinarNinja Building a SaaS company and how Omar builds his team The "CEO mode" and the "worker bee mode" as a founder Growing the podcast to 130 million total downloads WebinarNinja's 300% growth in the last year Why Omar hasn't gotten bored after doing more than 1,600 podcast episodes The dynamic of running a business with your life partner How Omar recharges outside of work and why snowboarding is such a good activity to get immersed in Omar's advice for other entrepreneurs Links from the Episode Nicole Baldinu New Media Expo Gary Vaynerchuk Tim Ferriss Pat Flynn Jordan Harbinger Entrepreneurs on Fire WordPress Steve Jobs Biography Elon Musk Biography Allison Ferenci The Hard Thing About Hard Things Zero to One Shoe Dog Essentialism Steal the Show I Can't Make This Up A Life in Parts Open
Allison Ferenci is the co-founder and CEO of Camera IQ, the world's first augmented reality platform for camera marketing. Camera IQ unites the camera ecosystem to enable brands create and deliver captivating AR experiences at scale. Allison has been creating new realities since she started her dual MFA in Interior Design and Digital Interactive Art at Pratt Institute. Exploring the intersection between design, architecture and human interaction, Allison became interested in how technology could bridge our online and offline worlds. In 2016, Allison founded Camera IQ on the thesis that the camera is no longer just the camera. Camera IQ helps brands build new interactive experiences that captivate audiences. Since inception, they have worked with major brands and are in partnership talks with major platforms. About Our Partners This episode is brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country's fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor's "Best Places to Work", 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. This episode is also brought to you by Toptal. Toptal is an exclusive network of the top freelance software developers, designers, finance experts, product managers, and project managers in the world. Top companies hire Toptal freelancers for their most important projects. Connect with Allison Ferenci Camera IQ Facebook Instagram Twitter Snapchat Medium LinkedIn Allison on Twitter Some of the Topics Covered by Allison Ferenci in this Episode Allison's background and how it led to her starting Camera IQ Meeting her co-founder, Sonia Tsao and her advice on what to look for in a co-founder The original business model for Camera IQ and how it has evolved Determining their pricing model Being in category creation Why Allison recommends bootstrapping at the beginning The challenges of fundraising as female founders and what Allison learned from the experience Early customer acquisition and exploring different verticals Hiring technical employees as non-technical founders How Allison approaches product development Camera IQ's relationship with different platforms Different use cases for Camera IQ, and how COVID has expanded opportunities How Allison views the future of AR How Allison sees success and failure Allison's book recommendations How Allison recharges away from work Allison's advice for entrepreneurs Links from the Episode Adobe Figma #131: Olivia Owens, Creator and General Manager of IFundWomen of Color and Head of Partnerships at IFundWomen, a Platform for Female Entrepreneurs to Raise Capital Through Crowdfunding Shasta Ventures Marketo Twilio Salesforce NEW INC (New Museum) Andy Weissman at Union Square Ventures Spotify Neiman Marcus Refinery29 R/GA New York Fashion Tech Lab Atlantic Records Republic Records Interscope Records Software development kit Bumble Snapchat Rainbows End by Vernor Vinge Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert The Messy Middle by Scott Belsky Daily Rituals by Mason Currey
Ryan Emmons is the co-founder and CEO of Waiakea, the first Hawaiian Volcanic Water of its kind. Waiakea's mission is to provide healthy, delicious, Hawaiian volcanic water to people throughout the world with as little impact as possible while contributing to and promoting conservation and access to clean water and education for people in need throughout the world. This is embodied by Waiākea’s slogan “Drink Healthy, Drink Sustainably, Drink Ethically”. Waiākea volcanic water originates in Hawai’i through both snowmelt and rain on the pristine peak of the active Mauna Loa volcano, one of the purest environments on Earth. The water is then filtered through thousands of feet of porous volcanic rock that enriches Waiākea with a variety of trace minerals, making it electrolyte rich and naturally alkaline, before emerging at its source, surrounded by rich forest preserves just outside quiet Hilo town. In accordance with the Hawaiian practice and notion of “malama i ka ‘aina”, meaning “to respect and care for the land”, Waiākea is also proud to be the first American premium bottled water and beverage to be certified Carbon Neutral for its variety of eco-initiatives, including using 100% RPET packaging, sustainable sourcing, and its regional reforestation projects. On top of this, every bottle bought guarantees funding through PumpAid.Org that provides over 650 liters of clean water to those in need in developing countries...Waiākea is truly unlike any other water on the planet. About Our Partners This episode is brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country's fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor's "Best Places to Work", 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. This episode is also brought to you by Toptal. Toptal is an exclusive network of the top freelance software developers, designers, finance experts, product managers, and project managers in the world. Top companies hire Toptal freelancers for their most important projects. Connect with Ryan Emmons Waiakea Facebook Instagram Twitter Pinterest Waiakea on Amazon LinkedIn Some of the Topics Covered by Ryan Emmons in this Episode How Ryan's Hawaiian roots led to him founding Waiakea Becoming an entrepreneur Starting Waiakea while at USC Proving a differentiated product Early informal fundraising and getting a loan Building an ethical brand and a premium product Finding their first distributor Getting into Whole Foods Attending trade shows Expanding the business beyond natural channels into e-commerce, food service, convenient stores Product placement within stores Value alignment with distributors Being the first 100% upcycled bottle company The challenges of transitioning to their own production facility Going from 50 to 90% OEE Waiakea's social initiatives How Ryan views fundraising Prioritizing profitability and scalability The value Ryan found in executive education Overcoming challenges and what motivates Ryan Links from the Episode Santa Barbaraopoly Undergraduate Entrepreneurship at USC Marshall Rick's Running Water Expo West Trade Show SPINS #124: Loren Brill, CEO & Founder of Sweet Loren’s, the Clean Food Company With Delicious Non-GMO, Gluten-Free, Vegan Cookie Dough Available in 10,000+ Stores Nationwide Wawa Convenience Stores Shopify Pump Aid Entrepreneurs' Organization Birthing of Giants Mastering the Rockefeller Habits by Verne Harnish Scaling Up by Verne Harnish #56: Rand Fishkin, Founder of SparkToro, Author of Lost and Founder, and Former Co-founder and CEO of Moz YPO
Ronda Fraley is the founder of The Wine Party Co., making it easy to drink great wine and learn about it. Wine shouldn't be overwhelming. That's why Ronda created a digital wine platform that offers wines that are highly-curated, experiences that are ready-to-host, wine classes, and an inclusive community so that you can experience wine with confidence and without judgement. The Wine Party Co. came from the idea that good wine - which comes with a lot of confusion, uncertainty, and intimidation surrounding its many variations - can be made approachable. And give you a damn good reason to gather people together. Ronda is not your typical wine pro and she didn't set out to recreate your typical wine experience. The company’s approachable and inclusive vibe is a reflection of her career spent in hospitality, creating memorable experiences for guests and employees alike. Ronda's certifications from the Court of Master Sommeliers and Wine & Spirits Education Trust show that she knows what she’s talking about, but it’s her passion for bringing people together that is changing the way you experience wine for the better. Her focus on a healthier lifestyle also guides her wine selections. It’s why you’ll always find organic wines from small producers who pour love into their vineyards and their wines. About Our Partners This episode is brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country's fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor's "Best Places to Work", 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. This episode is also brought to you by Toptal. Toptal is an exclusive network of the top freelance software developers, designers, finance experts, product managers, and project managers in the world. Top companies hire Toptal freelancers for their most important projects. Connect with Ronda Fraley The Wine Party Co. Instagram Pinterest LinkedIn Some of the Topics Covered by Ronda Fraley in this Episode How Ronda got inspired to start The Wine Party Co. and how the idea evolved into what it is today Going from passion project to full time entrepreneur Why Ronda decided to bootstrap the business Customer acquisition through networking Why the freemium model has worked for Ronda The business model for The Wine Party Co. Low-budget marketing and exploring partnerships What makes a good webinar How Ronda is approaching growth for The Wine Party Co. How Ronda views competition and what makes her company unique How Ronda sources her wines from small businesses Short term execution versus long term vision The Wine Party Co.'s current traction Expectations versus reality regarding entrepreneurship Incorporating customer feedback Ronda's book recommendations How Ronda recharges away from work The importance of adaptability Ronda's advice for entrepreneurs Links from the Episode Dreamers & Doers Female Founders Collective Women Who Love Wine Key Ingredient Simply LaKita To taste Slack #59: Austin Rief, Co-Founder and COO of Morning Brew, on Growing to Over 1 Million Newsletter Subscribers Beaune Imports Farm Wine Imports Rinascimento Wine Co. Traction by Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares
Shahira Marei is the Founder and CEO of The Dirty Cookie, which sells custom branded cookies in shot glass form that you can fill with any beverage you’d like. Their customizable cookie shots combine all of your favorite things about an after-school snack into a dish-free, premium dessert experience. Shahira is an Egyptian American who was raised in Orange County, California. She started her career as an aerospace project manager at The Boeing Company and holds an MBA in management and a bachelors in marketing from California State University Fullerton. In 2015, five months after giving birth to her daughter, Shahira started her first business, The Dirty Cookie. The Dirty Cookie was the first company in the world to innovate a new way to drink your milk from your cookie, creating a custom cookie cup. The Dirty Cookie has been featured on Business Insider, The Today Show, FOX news, The Food Network, The Cooking Channel and much more. Shahira is passionate about bringing people and communities together and in 2018 founded a nonprofit in Southern California, LEAP (League of Egyptian American Professionals) to bring the Young Egyptian American Professionals together. About Our Partners This episode is brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country's fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor's "Best Places to Work", 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. This episode is also brought to you by Toptal. Toptal is an exclusive network of the top freelance software developers, designers, finance experts, product managers, and project managers in the world. Top companies hire Toptal freelancers for their most important projects. Connect with Shahira Marei The Dirty Cookie Facebook Instagram Pinterest Twitter LinkedIn welcome@thedirtycookieoc.com Some of the Topics Covered by Shahira Marei in this Episode What The Dirty Cookie is Where Shahira got her entrepreneurial spirit from at a young age Leaving Boeing to start The Dirty Cookie Signing a 5-year lease before having her business idea The first steps Shahira took to start her business The blessing and curse of being naive as an entrepreneur How Shahira managed financially and the early surprises as she was getting started Knowing what kind of entrepreneur you are Customer acquisition and marketing strategies for The Dirty Cookie Juggling a full-time job, being a new founder, and having a baby Expanding into online distribution, catering, and wholesale Deciding to close down the storefront The challenges of e-commerce How COVID has affected The Dirty Cookie and how Shahira has adapted the business Shahira's plan to transition from bootstrapping to fundraising How Shahira has been approaching new product development Shahira's podcast and book recommendations How Shahira recharges away from work Shahira's meditation and journaling practices The biggest lessons Shahira has learned along the way and her advice for entrepreneurs Shahira's support system Links from the Episode Boeing The Dirty Cookie on Business Insider The Dirty Cookie on The Food Network The Dirty Cookie on The Cooking Channel The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas The Dirty Cookie on The Today Show How I Built This with Guy Raz on NPR (podcast) Good to Great by Jim Collins The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod Transcendental Meditation The Silva Method of Meditation One Line a Day Journal Entrepreneurs' Organization Tory Burch Fellows Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses
Jesse Scheff is the Founder and CEO of Easyupp, an online platform that allows a salesperson to sell a car from any dealership. EasyUpp is dedicated to providing great dealers and salespeople a platform to help more customers. Built on relationships, Easyupp believes that the people are the purpose. If a salesperson has a customer that wants to buy from them, they should never be limited by inventory. Easyupp provides salespeople a way to help that customer at any dealership and provide dealerships with customers they would have never reached otherwise. Jesse is the President of National Auto Dealers Association class, and likes to approach old challenges in new ways. He is a 3x Ford Triple Crown Award Winner--awarded to only 21 dealers nationally, and he doubled year over year departmental profit and pushed annual sales well over $200 million. About Our Partners This episode is brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country's fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor's "Best Places to Work", 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. This episode is also brought to you by Toptal. Toptal is an exclusive network of the top freelance software developers, designers, finance experts, product managers, and project managers in the world. Top companies hire Toptal freelancers for their most important projects. Connect with Jesse Scheff EasyUpp Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Jesse on Twitter jesse@easyupp.com Some of the Topics Covered by Jesse Scheff in this Episode What is EasyUpp and the pain point it is designed to solve The first steps Jesse took to start EasyUpp Early customer discovery From being a one-man show to finding a co-founder What the EasyUpp platform started as and how it has evolved EasyUpp's business model and determining pricing Onboarding sales people and dealership partners Geographic expansion and growth Early bootstrapping and Jesse's advice for early-stage fundraising Networking to find investors Determining use of funds Figuring out when to utilize prior industry experience and when to set assumptions aside Jesse's resource recommendations and consuming relevant content The biggest challenges Jesse has faced on his entrepreneurial journey The effect COVID has had on Easyupp and the automotive industry Links from the Episode #134: Zuleyka Strasner, Founder and CEO of Zero, on Building a Convenient Zero-Waste Grocery Delivery Service, Becoming the Largest Sustainability Platform in the U.S., and Growing 15X in 5 Months Akimbo with Seth Godin (podcast) Seth Godin's Startup School (podcast) Y Combinator resources The Twenty Minute VC with Harry Stebbings (podcast) This Week in Startups (podcast) Zero to One by Peter Thiel The Lean Startup by Eric Ries Tim Ferriss on learning Slack Carvana
Peter Davis is the founder and CEO of Ampjar, a karmic advertising community that helps small brands to acquire customers through a fast and simple exchange of shout outs. Prior to running Ampjar, Pete ran a social and digital media agency which worked with household name brands in 6 countries. Pete sold the business to Private Equity in 2017. Pete is based out of Melbourne Australia where he lives with his wife Maria and 5 year-old twin girls. He plays soccer though admits his dreams of ever pulling on the shirt of his boyhood club Norwich City have probably gone, though it depends how bad they can actually get! Connect with Peter Davis Ampjar Twitter Instagram Facebook LinkedIn Pete on Twitter pete@ampjar.com This episode is brought to you by Hawke Media and Toptal. More on both of them below. Some of the Topics Covered by Peter Davis in this Episode How Peter got started with Ampjar The business model for Ampjar How their pricing model has evolved over the years Deciding to fund-raise for Ampjar Getting hand-picked by Jason Calacanis to participate in the LAUNCH Accelerator Peter's experience going through the accelerator and fundraising The sacrifices made by the partners and families of entrepreneurs Deciding to build a remote team Customer acquisition and Ampjar's scouting program How Ampjar's network works and the application and onboarding process The challenges of being a network effect company Ampjar's current traction How Peter maintains relationships with investors How Ampjar has supported its community during COVID The big vision for Ampjar How Peter's previous experience running a social and digital media agency has impacted how he runs Ampjar Peter's book recommendations How Peter recharges away from work Links from the Episode Jason Calacanis LAUNCH Accelerator #134: Zuleyka Strasner, Founder and CEO of Zero, on Building a Convenient Zero-Waste Grocery Delivery Service, Becoming the Largest Sustainability Platform in the U.S., and Growing 15X in 5 Months Chip Meakem at Tribeca Venture Partners Slack Zoom Basecamp Canva Who Gives A Crap Turning the Flywheel by Jim Collins The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz About Our Partners This episode is brought to you by Hawke Media. Hawke Media is a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA, providing guidance, planning, and execution to grow brands of all sizes, industries, and business models. Hawke Media was recognized by Inc. as the country's fastest-growing marketing consultancy and is proudly one of Glassdoor's "Best Places to Work", 2019 #893 on the Forbes 5000 list, UpCity Top Los Angeles Digital Marketing Agency. Hawke’s collaborative process, à la carte offering, and month-to-month fee structure give clients the flexibility they need to boost digital revenues and marketing ROI. Hawke Media The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Listen to our interview with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media, in episode 23 of the Just Go Grind Podcast. This episode is also brought to you by Toptal. Toptal is an exclusive network of the top freelance software developers, designers, finance experts, product managers, and project managers in the world. Top companies hire Toptal freelancers for their most important projects.
Adam Callinan is the co-Founder and CEO of BottleKeeper, a specialty beverage accessory company on a mission to keep your drinks the perfect temperature. Adam grew his business to more than $8 million in sales before hiring his first employee, and now BottleKeeper is one of the leading retailers of beverage accessories on the market. In this episode, we discuss how he was able to grow so quickly without any employees, why he is obsessed with automation, and what it takes to scale your business incredibly fast—without using Facebook ads. You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://bit.ly/2GTVP4N Interested in our Private Community for 7-Figure Store Owners? Learn more here. Want to hear about new episodes and eCommerce news round-ups? Subscribe via email.
EP186 - BottleKeeper CEO Adam Callinan Adam Callinan is the co-founder and CEO of Bottlekeeper (@thebottlekeeper). In this broad-ranging interview we discuss Bottlekeepers origin, their experience on Shark Tank, Amazon strategy, protecting intellectual property, and challenges and opportunities of scaling a direct to consumer business. Don't forget to like our facebook page, and if you enjoyed this episode please write us a review on itunes. Episode 186 of the Jason & Scot show was recorded on Tuesday, August 20th, 2019. live from the eTail East trade show in Boston, MA. http://jasonandscot.com Join your hosts Jason "Retailgeek" Goldberg, Chief Commerce Strategy Officer at Publicis, and Scot Wingo, CEO of GetSpiffy and Co-Founder of ChannelAdvisor as they discuss the latest news and trends in the world of e-commerce and digital shopper marketing. Automated Transcription of the show Transcript Jason: [0:24] Welcome to the Jason and Scott show this episode is being recorded live from the etail East trade show in Boston on Tuesday August 20th 2019 I'm your host Jason retailgeek Goldberg and unfortunately Scott was unable to join us so I am so low today but I've made up for it by to juuling a great guests to join us on the show Welcome today Adam Calhoun and he's the co-founder and CEO of bottlekeeper welcome to the show Adam. Adam: [0:53] Now you're having me. Jason: [0:53] We are super excited to have you as you have a great story as Messengers are going to get in just a minute but for those that haven't already had the life-changing experience of owning a bottlekeeper, what it what is the elevator pitch on bottlekeeper. Adam: [1:09] So it is a bit admittedly it's a bit challenging to just fully explained it is a very visual product but I'll do my best. Bottlekeeper is effectively it's a stainless steel bottle like a water bottle that we've all seen for 20 years, and the base of that bottle screws off and so the inside of the the body of that bottle is is insulated with neoprene so that you can put a beer bottle inside the body of the bottle screw the base back on there's a built-in bottle opener into the cap, I've been a seals being closed bottle and does all these great things will also helps to keep your beer bottle which is now enclosed much colder much longer and it's protected from what we say is gravity induced explosions, I lie when you drop your beer bottle on a pool deck Kubota Beach Etc broken glasses bad. Jason: [1:53] So so I have heard so if I called it a beer cozy on steroids would that be offensive or is that. Adam: [2:00] It's important, defensive and me to tell in 1981 was the first patent for the super old-school thumb is he so it was time for redo. Jason: [2:13] Time for an upgrade right so we get massively better cold we get the bottle protection I'm not sure you Market it this way but there's potentially a stealth elements to the product. Adam: [2:24] I need a wee wee Focus pretty heavily on that keep it cold and protected live there. Jason: [2:30] Fair enough and I feel like most of our listeners have imagined that their dream job would be to be a CEO of a company in the adult beverage base. I was going to ask his it's like are you going to ruin it and say it sucks and you were like 80-hour weeks and it's super stressful. Or you can nice. Adam: [2:49] Now it's amazing I mean we we were very very intentional early on in starting this company my co-founder partner Matt Campbell and I about doing, ignore my previous world was a lifestyle that was built around a business and so and going into bottlekeeper and launching and I wanted to do the polar opposite that was build a business around a lifestyle in my lifestyle, living in Southern California I spent a lot of time in the water and on the beach and traveling with my wife and so we built that mentality into the framework of the business which even now and we launched in 2013 even now six plus years later. It's fun I mean it's really casual it's really relaxed we have you know our team has unlimited vacation we have mandatory work-from-home Fridays because I literally I was trying to get people to work from home on Fridays and they keep coming in so now it's like. You got to work from home on Fridays so it's just it's a very fun casual flexible products. Jason: [3:45] That that is totally awesome and I know you guys have a pretty funny origin story like how did you come up with this idea. Adam: [3:55] Yeah so my cousin again co-founder partner Matt was sitting on the beach drinking a beer out of a red party cup. 85° outside we know how the story goes right it's warm in 4 minutes and drinking warm beer is about as fun as having a tooth pulled, so he at the same time he's also, that particular about drinking beer out of bottles that's just something you would always prefer to have a beer out of the bottle so he's looking around he sees people drinking out of we're just normal off-the-shelf water bottles with her everywhere today. And thinks himself why can't I just take one of those and put a beer bottle inside of it and really the only way to do that is by cutting it in half, so he went and purchased a bunch of off-the-shelf water bottles a handful and Vise grip them to a table hack saw them in half, cut up some old neoprene College Koozies and super glue them inside and his favorite beer bottle fit perfectly, and what this did was it created an opportunity to keep a beer a lot colder a lot longer while simultaneously protecting the bottle because again he's on a beach he lives in Phoenix Arizona has a pool is all these places where, it's hot and glass you know, doesn't make sense in this was the quick and easy solution to that problem. Jason: [5:06] That is awesome so we made a product for that and I heard a rumor that you you did a quick and dirty test to find out if there be a customer demand for the product. Adam: [5:20] Yeah when when you know we started doing this together we we burn it up in early 2013 we, I was not admittedly super I thought was a really really cool product to fit my lifestyle gray but I wasn't overly convinced him particularly have never been in the consumer product business before that we could sell it that we could get people interested enough in the product to sell it at a real price point NADA this is Hobby price why put a real price on with real margins so I built a website just a landing page with a video that I shot on a GoPro and plugged an email capture system into a MailChimp and, you know basically I spent $500 on Google AdWords in and sent people to the website they just basically said if you think this is cool and you want to know when it comes out leave your email and it converted reasonably well and it wasn't a 5% but even at 1% like we'd at least prove the people that were, you know we're interested enough in it not knowing what the price was to go on to the next phase which R Us was crowdfunding. Jason: [6:18] Play up first. That is totally cool it wouldn't have been that much earlier that it would have been super expensive than unfeasible to even do a basic test like that. Adam: [6:29] No question and that's when you look at these sorts of things you know you can it's really in hindsight it's really easy to point out that the things that were really lucky and one of those the timing I mean had we try to do this in 2008 it would have been a totally different story. Jason: [6:42] Yeah and you're not the first entrepreneur on the show to say hey we we put up sort of a faux buying experience even before we knew how to make products in fact I think we had tuft and needle on the show and he literally had a bye but and took an order in the first day. Adam: [6:58] That's awesome yeah we didn't take it quite that far but I can send there's a lot of Value Inn in doing that particularly when he basically combined what was Frost Phase 1 and Phase 2 he combined that into one phase which was can you get people out of the credit card information and click by. Jason: [7:13] So they also not available 5 years earlier would have been that that crowd crowdfunding component can you talk a little bit about that. I said you had any experience doing a crowdfunding project. Adam: [7:23] I mean I was pretty guy come from the medical world at that point and Matt is a also not turn over but has been in the alternative fuel conversion space since college so neither of us have any experience. Jason: [7:34] Kickstarter or Indiegogo or one of those. Adam: [7:36] We used fundable we actually got declined from Kickstarter at the time they were I guess we're focusing on our projects and things like that so I I met somebody who was a Founder CEO of honorable and they were super helpful and got us off on the right foot. Jason: [7:50] Awesome so then that's Circa 2013/2014. Adam: [7:57] That was the about September 2013 was the beginning of the crowdfunding it went on for 2 months. Was really successful for us not in the amount of funds raised it wasn't super expensive to start this company so that wasn't the point but we we set up a low goal, we more than tripled that goal and it was it the real proof of concept that we can get people to enter their credit card information and click by and having these people not be like our parents in front of him. Jason: [8:23] Yep but it and it's only gave you some sort of Market validation that you had a. Adam: [8:27] 100% of men. That is the validation right we had something people were interested in and we're willing to pay real money for. Jason: [8:33] Yeah yeah so now you so now I assume you start chewing up and Manufacturing you fulfill those orders was it easy to grow organically from there or how did you say. Adam: [8:46] No. Jason: [8:48] I was being slightly start a. Adam: [8:49] Yeah it was not easy at all I mean it with this was like a funny side project for almost a year and not because we didn't love it and think it was amazing we just haven't figured out how to do it yet. Sew-in yeah we we did that I built a real website on I think I'm bored press if plug-in woocommerce to it and you some funny Dragon drop that it hurts I don't have code. And we started taking pre-orders at the end of the crowdfunding cycle so we had started doing some testing on actually being an e-commerce business in the fall we ship those orders in the first week of January 2014 barely missing Christmas which is awesome. And I'm just literally just fumbled along for 8 months. [9:30] We are doing two or $3,000 a month in Revenue I had two other kind of side project things I was doing maths in a running as fuel conversion company, I'm so we're still doing this we're trying to do it we just haven't figured out how to make it work yet. And something really important happened for us and that was in in about August of 2014 Facebook launched their video advertising platform, so I thought of you again I'm not a videographer I'm not never done this before so I just took you off the shelf Camera DSLR that I had from some previous trip. And propped it up on a backpack in the sand and had this sort of demonstration video that was abusively long in today's standards of digital marketing at least with respect to Facebook and things like that and put it on Facebook and it exploded. Just went from you know 5 or so thousand dollars in August to like. 10 in September to 25 in October to 50 in November to 60 in the first seven days of December and we saw a lot of product cuz we had no expectation that this was going to have. That was that was the point of which you know we were. Clearly earlier on may be in September after like holy hell is actually working and then it just continued to work because with Facebook if you just keep putting money into a particular when you're at the smaller scale and you can achieve the same results. Jason: [10:46] Yeah that's awesome so during that that run up as you started getting that heavy Traction in this volume started really getting up did I did like WordPress break and all that sort of stuff and did you have to migrate I'm assuming. Adam: [10:59] Oh yeah we were we were in. Way over our heads and by we I mean me my was responsible for the front end of the business the tech The Branding the marketing OSF mats with multiple for the back end with the inventory is the manufacturing or financials on this important stuff so yeah I was weighing over my head I mean we. Do we couldn't ever get enough bandwidth to support the girl that we were doing and we Band-Aid patched it for. A year easily are removed to Shopify which was one of the smartest things we ever did in the summer 2015. Jason: [11:30] And then fast forward a couple of years and you guys were on Shark Tank. Adam: [11:39] We were in the November of last year. Jason: [11:42] I'll put in the show notes but it's like season 6 episode. Adam: [11:48] It season 10. Jason: [11:51] Episode 6. Adam: [11:51] Season 10 I think it's episode 6. Jason: [11:54] Sex so so we'll put it in there before you get you can get on the show as a regular follower I sort of thing marked even as an unbroken record of investing in every Beer Company. Adam: [12:06] There might be a theme there. Jason: [12:08] So I don't know I don't know if you targeted that at all but just a side note. Adam: [12:12] Yeah he had this great quote and up one of the Publications that came out of that nose actually became the title of this article it was something to the effect of every time I drink a beer I invest a billion dollars. Jason: [12:22] Well I hope he's got a good Roi on that that could be an awesome investment strategy if it's working, so you're so happen to have a guest shark A-Rod and in the beginning of your pitch to demonstrate the protection element of bottlekeeper you, I handed him a baseball and let him throw a baseball at your product and I'm actually thinking I would be in your shoes terrified at this moment because if I make a rod look bad. He doesn't like it at flush. Like this could go totally sideways so luckily there's no listeners on the show so I guess we'll never get out did he nail it in the First Take. Adam: [13:05] He did I'm in the guy's a Hall of Famer. Jason: [13:07] Yeah. Adam: [13:08] It was surprising how I mean he nailed it dead center in the middle 60 plus miles an hour in a full business suit and dress shoes on a hardwood floor from 30 yards. Jason: [13:18] Which. Yeah I mean he's there I got to do it but you still is I feel like it's impressive nonetheless so you took a risk until I paid off and on the show you Altima got a deal with Mark and Lori, like pretty meaningful valuation when the fun things to me is a lot of people come on that show, very early revenue or pre-revenue in like asking for sort of a wack evaluation and they get beat up, I almost got the impression they felt like you were a little silly until they found out about your your existing Revenue run rates and then it became a different kind of gum. Adam: [13:57] Yeah which any of that was is, very very planned out right I mean our goal it wasn't our goal wasn't to go on in and look silly but it was to go on and then get to the point where 3 numbers and have them all, set up in their chairs and even even with you got to structure all these things right even with a rod drawing we designed that around having a run on the show we didn't say we want to do this experiment that all the time we have a run it was what do we need to include in our patch so that we can, so that we can guarantee they will air our episode and it's like you have a rod throwing a ball on National Television there's no way they're not going to. Jason: [14:33] Yeah it's too. It's brilliant and I've been told by other shark tank entrepreneurs on the show that one of the things that can be frustrating is you don't actually know when your shows going to air. Until I can be, dislike again you're likely to have a big bump in in demand from the show in the band planning and hardening your systems can all be a challenge in your case I think you got a really lucky air date did you not. Adam: [15:01] We Dad we are the night before Cyber Monday. Jason: [15:03] Oh my gosh so tons of demand a peak time in you already on Shopify at that point so did things hold up in. Adam: [15:13] Yeah I mean from a from a texting Point yeah every everything that I'm in the fortunate thing for us in that experience was that we had already been in business for, five or six years we've already done millions of dollar in route dollars and revenue we had, you know we had put all the pieces in place through other learning mistakes and we were around that we've been on other TV shows prior to that's the we had these huge bumps in Things Fall Apart and so we got to patch all those holes in advance and the other part was we had we work this great deal there manufacturing group where they were basically they would create, I think it was it was up to 10 containers of product on their dime and basically hold them in a facility in the US and we could draw from them as we wanted so that really D risks, our inventories going into Shark Tank cuz you're right we find out three weeks before it was going to air that was going to air. Jason: [15:57] Wow that's awesome in my distant past we used to do some work with Oprah Winfrey in like early on in her list she would literally put these entrepreneurs out of business cuz she like you create so much demand and like so, you would have had to invent all these new disciplines about how you handle this this one ridiculous spike in your business that's a first world problem though my friend. So so you're on the show the product looks gray By Carolyn season on the show you get this nice bump and I think you said like, like a 300% increase in rent do I have that. Adam: [16:33] Yeah as of that night and then grilling to Cyber Monday we had we were already up W Revere so then we basically increase 300%, the night of and it lasted through the subsequent week minute tell off a little bit the beauty of TV now versus TV 10 years ago did you get this huge Spike spike lives on a movie still something like temperate not sock. It's slower it's like 5% of our traffic today we can still point of Shark Tank, start in November of last year it reared in Des in January of this year but even then this up lives on. Jason: [17:10] The rears its the DVR now and on demand you get this nice a long tail. Adam: [17:12] Horse HD streaming systems. Over the course of the week following the Airing weekend directly attribute an additional million dollars in Revenue just to Shark Tank nuts customer acquisition free which is a beautiful thing. Jason: [17:27] That that is awesome so that could be is valuable for being on the show you raise some Capital which I assume you were able to invest wisely and that's valuable I'm. An argument that sharks off and make on the show is did they have special skills and they'll help the entrepreneurs and so I'm always curious like I've done some math it's kind of funny Mark has done a bunch of deals and he's like oh I will help you with your website and take care of all that and I hurt your back is done a bunch of those basically they're putting people on Shopify in Magento. If you don't know about that. Yeah that's why I'm just like to the extent you can say like you like do you get intangible incremental benefit from a shark investor versus you know like sort of anonymous money from a Visa. Adam: [18:19] Yeah I mean. Anytime from our standpoint we're end up into this point we've had no investors are. So we've always looked at taking on Capital as a means of taking on, assets that go far beyond Capital what do we you know what is the person bringing to the table outside of just money cuz we don't necessarily need the money that bad now it's part of the pushback we got with going on Shark Tank, I was worried it was relatively apparent that we weren't there only for the money which a lot of companies go there for cuz they're about to die. So each of them has a different skills that each of them has a different. Thing they can they can contribute teams of people that can contribute I'm I can't really speak to them specifically prank their deals on going so, we don't have a ton of experience in working with him directly but you. Jason: [19:08] Yeah it's going to be interesting to follow and it certainly is a fun story I want to turn the O2 what is often done fun part of the School entrepreneurship which is the whole hassle around knockoffs in protecting your IP and this came up on your episode even a little bit like it is and I I get that they film this long for our thing and they added it down to 30 minutes, that would like 8 minutes or whatever and it's but like it almost seemed like you came on you totally shocked them with your Revenue run rates and you have good margins of good unit economics and then they're like we'll how much of you netting and it wasn't a huge number in it it took awhile to figure out they like oh we've been spending a fortune protecting r i p, so tell me a little bit about that. Adam: [20:07] Yeah it's. United consumer product world where you have to deal with patents and knockoffs it's just a very unfortunate and mind-numbing part of the business but it but a reality so, we we started to see knockoff products show up in on Amazon in 2015 late 2015 it exploded in 2016 and although we had patents filed they were still pending or inactive so you can't do anything about you just watch this happen which is brutal, through that explosion in 2016 we we had over a hundred companies on Amazon selling fake they're not saying they're bottlekeeper so it's not counterfeit product released Amazon takes up are really seriously swear able to deal with that because of the trademark something that we had but, when are patent did go live in November of 2016 we had to get really really really aggressive with defending the brand we had to make a decision, are we going to grow more in Top Line and effectively bottom line. [21:04] In 2017 or are we going to take some money out of marketing and aggressively Defender Brandon we did the ladder we know we're in this for the long run we spent a lot of time your building what we, you know very much believe in and then and so we spent about a half a million dollars in 2017 and lawsuit suing a different companies. I'm getting consent judgments and doing all these important things as part of a strategy that will and update thought at least at the time that would put us in a position to better Defender patents moving forward which worked in Heights at work really well but it was really expensive, when you can take in the you know what I'm talking about that on the show that half million dollars we have to take out of her marketing Budget on retained earnings were Castle business, so how to come from somewhere in the only place I could come from was was marketing so. Jason: [21:54] So I should have asked before but were you already selling on Amazon prior to the counterfeiters or did the counterfeiters show up on Amazon before you. Adam: [22:04] They should open Amazon before us that's why we went on Amazon. Jason: [22:07] Yeah I was going to say okay so you're selling direct if I have this right you filed a provisional patent before you really started selling the product or early on. Adam: [22:19] The provisional is something and it said this early I'll preface is that I'm not an attorney so talk to you later but the provisional something that you file that's kind of like a placeholder it's an inexpensive patent it last for a year, and it basically like puts your place in line if it ends up working out and you want to come in I want to file a utility or a designer whatever patent on top of that so we had a provisional in place I mean frankly before Matt and I even came together and decided to do that. We filed the Utility Patent didn't think December of 2013 and it didn't go live until November 2016 is it really long. Jason: [22:52] Yeah not fun either so also not an attorney on the side but like in general the, super important thing about those patent filings is your filing date, right and so you don't cost a certain amount of money and and both filing fees but also just to prepare a patent and so instead of spending all that money to file a full patent you can in fact, take this cheaper path which is a provisional patent but the provisional patent gives you that all-important filing day, I'm so if you have a bunch of money provisional patent actually not a good idea you should just go right for the patent and save the thousand bucks from the provision. Adam: [23:32] I mean I haven't even believe in that if you're testing a new concept as we come out with new stuff the first thing we do is file a provisional patent we're not sure it's going to work I mean our first and that's not like a small. Jason: [23:46] No no that's it shoot. So so you get the date from this provisional. Adam: [23:53] That's the important part. Jason: [23:54] Yeah and then when it converts to a full patent application that still retains the provisionals date so that's the whole point of the provisional patent, it's totally unpredictable how long the pageant can issue in it, it comes down to a bunch of luck about the examiner you catch and if there's a lot of questions and you have to do a lot of defense and you know do additional primary and all that stuff so you could issue in a year, and you could issue per your point in 5 years or longer so in your case, people say you selling direct knock it off and start selling the knockoffs on Amazon under a different brand before your patented issue. Adam: [24:38] Yeah an end of the challenge there is that weird. Heavily marketing bottlekeeper spending millions of dollars your marketing bottlekeeper on Facebook and all these other channels so why we had to be there is because people were then going to Amazon searching for bottlekeeper and please knock offs are coming up so we had to be at the top of the list for Bobby's reason. Jason: [24:55] Yet so you had to show up in their search I won't make you say it but many people would also say that a lot of the amenities that Amazon does offer for brand protection, are easier easier to Avail yourself of if you're a seller on Amazon so like frankly a lot of people become sellers on Amazon specifically so they can do brand registry and and eventually get a wrap and have some recourse is for some of this. Adam: [25:23] Yeah I know the kicker there is he that doesn't happen till you get to a significant amount of scale. Jason: [25:28] Yeah which feels kind of oily, it's also like, repeatedly how it plays out on most of the international market place is so you know you're trying to be on Team all at Ali Baba you know again has a lot more, IP protection tools when your seller then when you're just a disinterested third party, so so that prompts you to move to the Amazon platform so now you're playing at a crate on the same sales that you in the past would have captured direct but presumably also exposes you to a bunch more customers so you may not have gone on Amazon for, necessary the best of reasons but in hindsight. Are you sort of neutral about being on Amazon like you feel like there is an at economic Advantage if you like is a disadvantage or not prepared. Adam: [26:22] Oh man how much time do we have. Jason: [26:23] I'll do a long show forever talk. Adam: [26:27] We if we look at the from a consumer brand if we look at the overall picture of what Amazon does for us is consumer brand I would call a negative. You're right that we get exposure to new customers but the problem with our product is it's really hard to sell in a still image it's really hard for someone to look at it that doesn't know what it is and go I know what you do with that you put a beer inside of it so it's not like we're selling socks, yeah I mean when someone goes to Amazon looking for socks and we're one of the results that comes up and they love our socks and I wish it was it was that it was that simple I mean, that be a beautiful thing but unfortunately it's not so the other challenging part is that in the customer that purchase purchases from Amazon is Amazon's customer is not your customer that our customer we don't really know who that customer is they don't get to experience any any part of our Brandon and buying Direct in the processing funny copy and follow-up emails that are super fun and engaging in personal thank-you note every single customer that buys from her site gets from me personally that comes from my address they respond to it it comes to me and I respond every one of them. That's a really really important part of our brand that's how we get tremendous feedback that's how we design our new products, so we've. [27:41] We're hoping with some of the things Amazon is has put in place and we need to give them credit they have put in place a number of things that have been tremendously helpful like the patent infringement portal and brand registry which they just launched in the fall of last year that has been tremendously helpful. But from a consumer brand stamp when it's really really really hard to invest heavily in acquiring customers on Amazon when they're really not our customers. Jason: [28:07] Shirt and you can act like if you think about it there's two kinds of traffic that's hitting your PDP like there's people that got exposed to your top of the funnel marketing activities off Amazon, and so I want to hear funny YouTube videos or the television ads you're not doing which will get you in a minute, are all these other things and like you already created an intent to buy they go to Amazon and buy it instead of to your website and buy it and so it's lower-margin I didn't ask but you're probably also fulfilling via FBA and paying all those fees. Adam: [28:41] Yeah maybe actually Mark the product up on it was on the weekly or so to cover those please number one and also to give the customer incentive to come back. Jason: [28:50] I like it in that still gives you that visibility in search but protect you from some of that Marginal Road and that's a great tactic if, the product still Converse at that high price I promise if you price at to hide and no one buys it then it actually doesn't show up in search. Adam: [29:06] So it's it's funny when, when we first launched the product we launched it and one color one size and it didn't have the built-in opener wasn't powder-coated didn't have all that sort of bells muscles that it now has. And as we launched colors and then when an Amazon we did it with our what we color 1.0 product. That one for the product we were selling our website for 24 1999 $20 and you're selling it on Amazon for 25 but it was selling perfectly well on Amazon a 25 which was kind of that light bulb of did we underpriced are Prada, and that is we launched new bells and whistles and things that came directly from feedback from our customers, we looked at that pricing auto very differently and priced it well above what we thought would be reasonable and realize that we have not yet got to that pricing ceiling yet, Amazon for helping us figure that out. Jason: [29:54] That that is a terrific unintended benefit I guess. But so you have that version of the traffic in that converts and it's great but, that again we'd rather you don't get to meet that cuss around that thing and then you have people that maybe didn't know they needed your product Discover it on Amazon and prove your point, when those people at your PDP they probably don't convert near as well because your your storytelling and you're you're sort of want to buy contact content on Amazon is less compelling than it is on you. Adam: [30:27] Yeah it's it's significantly more limited. Jason: [30:29] So now I want to Pivot to another thing that I was actually expecting the Sharks to beat you up about and the Beast in the final edit it it you got a total pass on it, you mention what a boom Facebook video ads for you were, it sounds like it one point in your Evolution like you were you were very dependent on Facebook that that was your primary marketing via. Adam: [30:55] Yeah I mean even through today we're still dependent on Facebook we're just being very aggressive and diversifying that Revenue. Jason: [31:01] Yeah and for your point, early on it's like as much Capital as you have you can buy more more profitable eyeballs from Facebook with that that capital in your Capital constrained. There comes a point though when the cost per eyeball starts going up as you have to buy, broader and broader audiences and as Facebook just as the monitor talk about their their cpn's are CPAs, while they going up over time and as they scale and if that's your primary marketing vehicle you you have to worry that you're eventually going to hit some inflection point when. We can't keep growing the same way you were and so like what are you doing or what hat what are you trying to sort of diversify that the customer acquisition from Facebook info sorry, super long question when we're saying Facebook are we primarily talking about classic but Facebook or do you mean Facebook as sort of Facebook and Instagram. Adam: [32:03] Separate the two so classically Facebook we treat those two channels differently so looking, I mean everything you said it sounds like crack the bigger you got the harder it is to generate Returns on Facebook now. Combined with that is the fact that today you know Facebook isn't growing like it used to grow up really domestically at least which is where our main consuming audiences and. The number of marketers advertises on Facebook is up significant let me know anybody with a harpy can go in and create an ad account on Facebook and sell their Wares. Jason: [32:37] Even I could do it. Adam: [32:38] I could do a lot I mean I figure it out, the kicker bass simple supply and demand economics at least flatlined Supply and increase demand just gets more expensive, couple on top of that we have Facebook removing a pretty significant amount of targeting as a result of all the scandals and things have come out which just means it's more expensive for us to go and find, customer that we know exactly who that customer is and if we can Target them based on these Civics then then we do have to go to your point go broader which just makes more expensive naturally so we're focusing heavily on, we do advertised on Instagram that doesn't convert that's a great brand building getting eyeballs to a but hasn't has to work we can but it real well for us. We advertise in some capacity on all the socials Pinterest has worked really well for a tickly seasonally in and around Father's Day and key for the one that really surprised me and our marketing team is TV. I'm TV is at a place where there is a lot of additional technology that wasn't there 10 years ago. [33:45] TV ad-buying so the technology is not only in being able to attribute a sale to somebody saying. Adam TV commercial on a specific Channel but it's also being able to buy the space on that channel now they're these live auctions that are all you know automated that a really good TV buying company can go and get really inexpensive ads based on really good channels during great times a day that are in and I'll say the third position in a channel lineup rap commercial instead of the first, but it's like $200 for an ad on Hallmark Channel during the holidays he was the sort of thing it could be really really really inexpensive when it's done correctly and combining that with the fact we're doing all around creative in house, we can crank out high-quality creative and test the hell out of things before we hit need to go and put real budgets behind them. Jason: [34:34] And so it would be great if I said like that there this nice combination of there's way more inventory of Television than there's ever been before and there's slightly less competition for that inventory and so. Adam: [34:46] Yeah I mean if people are moving the advertisement for the attribution when you can just get it's just so much more clear. TV gets less expensive I mean there's not necessarily less viewers there's less linear TV viewers but even in the in the Digital streaming advertising and Digital streaming TV is great because you that's much easier to track that attribution issues IP matching and that's crystal clear in the linear side where it's somebody you know I'm sitting down watching TV. Yeah you you kind of got to follow him a little bit one of the ways that we've been successful doing that as is with a simple hear about us how'd you hear about us and our checkout funnel and being really specific. To the name of the channel in that dungeon feel like TV cuz if you're advertising 10 channels you're not going to know which ones doing well cuz I'm going to do really well in summer like any normal advertising Channel. Jason: [35:34] Yeah I think it's the old I want to make a quote half my ads are working I just don't know which half the, so TV has been good the I also heard a story that you were doing at least an outdoor, pilot it's a week like normally we've got digital outdoor and that means you're buying like a digital billboard or something that you are buying a digital boat. Adam: [36:02] This is Mike's American are a head of marketing is really really really smart guys I was coming up with these funny. Interesting things to test a nut wheel of testing stuff so we starting earlier this Summer started testing a bottlekeeper add video that's on a digital screen on the side of a boat that just drives up and down the coasts I named Ali in Florida and a couple other states as a 5 or 10% off discount code on and try to help us track conversions and it works really really well the challenges scale most of these marketing things that work really well as getting the scale and it but I was another pleasant surprise. Jason: [36:36] Yeah yeah and did the guy that pitch that happen to own a boat in like. Adam: [36:40] Yeah it was like this is this guy's belt that's that's the downside of this is It's not like there's one company that does this it's like Joe's boat in Miami Jimmy's boat in Baton Rouge like it it's quite desperate see if we work them individually but it is an interesting. Jason: [36:54] And eventually one of those boats is going to hit a manatee and there's going to be all kind. Adam: [36:57] That'll be the end of it. Jason: [36:58] Yeah yeah I hope I hope that doesn't happen to you so lots of stuff in flight for customer acquisition the other big change I heard is you are now if he's piloting some retail. So hot like talk to us about how like how you come to the why weren't you in retail in the beginning what changed that made sense for retail now and how's that. Adam: [37:21] Yeah you know what the beginning from my, prior 10 years in the medical world experience was really labor-intensive and really hard to manage at least from a logistic stamp why there was lots of just stuff people in multiple States and delivery vehicles and warehouses and all the stuff, she couldn't get away from it so when we started bottlekeeper the idea was to do the opposite of that let's think I said earlier let's build a business around a lifestyle, the sort of like Drop Dead question when we looked at opportunities was do we need to hire people to to accomplish it if the answer was yes and we just didn't do it, one of those things as retail as we started you know murdering people hammering stuff on Facebook with millions of dollars on Advertising retailers, none of that and they are start sending an enquiries and interested in whether it's a big retailer with small Roots retailer we didn't know what to do with them cuz we couldn't read that just set that we're not doing this. You know I was looking kind of at the GoPro model where they went completely direct-to-consumer for a long time and by the time they went to retail they got to make some, in a pretty decent demands because they had the consumer yeah they had way more leverage and I always made sense to me and it sort of fit my my operating model of let's do this without people so. Fast forward a couple years we as people retailers were coming to the site we were just saying hey we're not ready at between this waitlist and we'll let you know when we are so we had. [38:40] 3000 us retailers on a waitlist, we had a significant in the the how did you hear about us on the waitlist was customers coming in and saying why don't you have this which is really important piece owning the customer which was back twice challenging to design Amazon is a huge part of the puzzle, so come 2017 or patent infringement staff gets largely cleaned up, I'm 2018 we see the writing on the wall with Facebook we're starting to hit that point at which, you know our Yang and yang with expense and return it starting to get out of alignment we're looking for other Revenue models, so that one we were we have historically been a pretty seasonal business we do about a third of our Revenue during Father's Day and half of Revenue in the last 6 weeks of the year, so that gives us 9 months of the year that we know have low sales were losing money and some of those, I mean as we continue to grow our losing money in a lot of those, I mean that's made up for in these other two seasons so it just got to the point where retail we had enough demand we needed to try to level out a revenue throughout the year and not be so dependent on Facebook and our other social channels doing marketing, and some retail started to make sense so we actually this all started when a sales and he's now our director of sales this guy that had been in the the consumer space retail space for a long time. Reach Out blindly ends at Ace Hardware wants you. [40:06] And one company that I will totally plug happily that we've always looked at as sort of a model of brand building Done Right is yeti. It's an amazing job building a brand on relatively limited amounts mean I know they have a huge patent portfolio now that early on they had a couple of Pattinson, and protective of their drinkware lines in the sort of stuff that's that's hard to patent cuz it's that's been around forever yet, they build this following where people will go and spend 50 or $70 on a cop that you can buy for $5 literally anywhere else and I mean they just IPO they were filling the dollars, clearly that works for them so. Is a store that Yeti is heavily in so that was the first big retailer that came to us and they were you not saying we want to work together you want to sell your products that and then it started to make sense so we, brought on this order for Versailles who's awesome and what he does and started that conversation we started opening up Ace locations they have four thousand or so domestic stores, started opening that up in the fall of 2018 so by the end of the year we had two hundred or so stores, started explaining to a bunch of a very select retailers, and as of the first six months of this year we're going over 4,000 domestic store so we're growing rapidly into retail and now with launching new products and stuff just on our our big pipeline we get to add to those shelf the Shelf space that we now have. Jason: [41:28] That that is awesome I'm curious you you mentioned earlier on that like the product really needs the video demonstration to sell so one of the challenges of that retail shelf is your problem actually looks a heck of a lot like a Yeti water bottle, on that on that shelf like a bee are you thinking about or if you experimented with any like video pop or anything to try to tell that story in retail. Adam: [41:53] So this is this is a huge consideration in launching into retail my nightmare is that bottlekeeper ends up in the hydration Isle of a store sitting with all the other water bottles it will get lost so the benefit of having a bit of Leverage and going into the retailers that are saying please please no I'm not I don't know me to oversell it they wanted the product and we had enough leverage to be able to say I'll kill you can you can have it if you do these couple of things and one of those is used our merchandising that we created, I mean our counter display has a physical bottlekeeper unit broken open on it like glued to the front of this would display so you can't miss what this product is. It's like they have to use the kicker. Jason: [42:34] Yep and is it like do you try to get merchandise in the beer section is that. Adam: [42:40] It just depends on the store I mean our again our sort of no-go zone is is hydration yet this is cousin doesn't but in entrance doors yeah I mean we have like, Meijer a great you know high and grocer that's perfect to be in the beer in the rear section I mean on a couple of sets a Whole Foods all these places that have grape your collections it works really well. Jason: [43:02] Awesome the I forgot to ask International so are you guys selling much International now is that in the expansion. Adam: [43:13] It is a big part of the expansion we have we actually physically launched into Australia in 2015 were some really good learning experience. Jason: [43:21] Then think about that but that's like one of your fate area would be where is it hard to keep beer cold. Adam: [43:25] Yeah and Australia versus a lot of the other places you can lie. Jason: [43:27] Like Greenland probably not as high on. Adam: [43:29] Yeah UK is not quite up there either but I mean Australia it's hot most of the population lives on the coast they like beer speak English, it made sense to do that really good learning experience you know we sold physically they're out of a warehouse that was contracted and had a physical presence there learn quickly that there, Amazon doesn't have quite the hold their that they have here so consumers aren't quite trained up on e-commerce, so having a physical presence there is really really important over in the midst of working with Distributors to go the more traditional retail route as well as in a bunch of different countries yes is the really long answer to your question. Jason: [44:05] And obviously I'm sure you're ahead of me on this one by one of the sake things is of course all that IP work you did in the US you now have to start thinking about duplicating time what time is potentially a lot. Adam: [44:19] Yeah I mean there's you know that, the downside of the very beginning of the company of not going in raising a bunch of money is that when it came time to file patents lien filing patents in all jurisdictions is phenomenally expensive and so there's some places that we just don't have coverage we just have to rely on the fact. Certain countries really enjoy using American brands and. Jason: [44:44] For sure until we're getting we're running up on time I want to give it to the last topic but I would be remiss if I didn't point out one of the funniest things of the day so you were funny only to me but you were on a panel at detail on Startup founder stories, until they were like three three great Founders that had you each had heard of a wildly different story that you all share it and I feel like there's actually a bunch of, useful practical learning that the audience probably got from all three of you but the one thing that all three of you had in common that it seemed like there was violent agreement on was that you should do all this marketing and concentration in house and that agencies don't work very well and I don't know if you know this but I work for a giant agency, so I'm laughing I'm thinking of my French overlords listening to this podcast and they're like nice TV is coming back we have a hundred and twenty thousand people that know how to produce great TV and then the next thing is but, it's now easy enough and there's a bunch of significant benefits to do it in-house which I would totally agree with. Yeah so I just wanted to get that out there for all my co-workers listening to the show I think the takeaway was agency sock was kind of. Adam: [46:01] No I buy my ticket would be that there is there's a time and we do use agencies were multiple points throughout our growth there's a time and a place, and even today we are TV buying we're not doing RT to buy internally like it would be impossible for us to do that so we still do use agencies in a couple. Jason: [46:17] No I die till I get I just thought it was funny so I'm having fun. Adam: [46:20] Glad the other guy Adam really got into that one so you can lay down. Jason: [46:23] T it sounds like a couple of the other guys had some like particularly bad rebranding experience, what does not hard to imagine so pivoting forward you put your future hat on in your imagining 2025a. What does the world at bottlekeeper look like a view. Dramatically expanded product lines have you like so this business to somebody in your living on the beach with like a concierge to bring you cold beer so you don't care anymore like what's the. Adam: [46:55] I mean we're not we're not even remotely close to where I would think of the acquisition time there's a lot of stuff you want to accomplish and we're certainly in it for the long haul I mean you know we we spent a lot of time internally part of the downside of naming the company after your first product is launching your second product becomes kind of interesting so we spent a lot of time internally, being able to better articulate why we as a business are doing this why is we we as a group of people are coming in and doing all the stuff everyday and as we get to better articulate that I'm at we are getting a lot better at articulating. That will allow us to expand into other. Verticals that I can't even imagine today I mean again looking at yet either a good example they started as a cooler and I was all a dog bowl expensive dog bowl, so it took 10 years to get to that or what not but but there's a there's a lot of a lot of room for growth. Jason: [47:47] Yeah it's a crazy story like that you. 8 years ago they were primarily super expensive cooler manufacturer that was like known as are the niches today that they had this like super powerful brand and a Scraper on a product some people are like wow overnight success you did all this stuff in 5-day years there 23 year olds. Adam: [48:08] Yeah I was definitely not 5-day ears that's for sure. Jason: [48:10] Yeah I mean it's like it's it's the age-old story everybody's an overnight success 20 years it, will listen am I super enjoyed talking to you about this is going to be a great place for us to leave it because it's happen again we've used up all our a lot of time but if listeners have any burning questions or comments and they want to continue the dialogue they're totally welcome to join our Facebook page where you will see a lot of bottlekeeper ads I did some research for the show and your retargeting is now stalking me. Adam: [48:43] Perfect it's working. Jason: [48:46] Yeah yeah yeah and I'm a good guy so I clicked on every one of those ads for you. Adam: [48:50] Okay yeah thanks thanks for that. Jason: [48:52] Yeah I'm here for you maybe I should buy a product after I click on that. I don't know if that would be better I'm kidding, but that we would love that as always if you enjoy the show please give us that five star review on iTunes Adam if people are inspired by the show and want to get in touch with you like what's the best way to, to reach you. Adam: [49:12] I mean you can find me on Twitter Adam underscore callanan out. I will tell you in advance I don't use it a whole lot much to my had a PR sugar in, I mean our bottlekeeper accounts of the best way we're still a small team super connected so if something comes to that I'll definitely about it. Jason: [49:28] Awesome I will wish those social accounts in the show notes and Adam really enjoyed their conversation thanks very much for making the time until next time happy commercing.
Watch the 9malls review of the BottleKeeper Stainless Steel Bottle Holder And Insulator. Is this gadget actually worth getting? Watch the hands on test to find out. Find As Seen On TV Products & Gadgets at the 9malls Store: https://www.amazon.com/shop/9malls Please support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/9malls
In this episode of the CXChronicles Podcast Adrian and the CX Nation chats with Erik Huberman, Founder and CEO of Hawke Media. Erik Huberman is the founder and CEO of Hawke Media, the fastest growing marketing consultancy in the United States. Launched in 2014, Hawke Media has been valued at $75 million and has grown from seven to over 150 employees. The company has serviced over 1500 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Hawke Media has taken home numerous industry awards including inclusion on the Inc. 5000 2017 list of “Fastest Growing Companies”, Fortune Magazine’s “50 Best Workplaces in Southern California” and Forbes’ “Content Marketing Companies to Check Out in 2018.” As a serial entrepreneur and marketing expert, Huberman is a sought-after thought leader in the world of digital marketing, entrepreneurship, sales and business. Prior to Hawke, he founded, grew and sold two successful ecommerce companies. Huberman is the recipient of numerous honors and awards including Forbes “30Under30,” CSQ "40Under40", Inc. Magazine’s “Top 25 Marketing Influencers,” and Best in Biz North America’s “Marketing Executive of the Year.” A regular contributor to major publications like Forbes, Entrepreneur and CSQ, Huberman is also a well-known keynote speaker. Support the show (https://cxchronicles.com/)
Hey everyone, in today's episode, I share the mic with Adam Callinan, the founder of BottleKeeper, a stainless steel container that is insulated to keep your beer cold longer. Adam is also a founding partner of Beachwood Ventures which is a venture capital firm based out of Los Angeles that connects the entertainment business with marketing opportunities for early stage businesses. Listen as Adam shares how a simple product demo video that he shot took the business from $3,000 to $60,000 in monthly sales, how a ridiculous referral program (and the word "free") skyrocketed their growth, and the one major change he recently made that impacted the business in a big way. Click here for show notes and transcription. Leave Some Feedback: What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, leave a short review here. Subscribe to Growth Everywhere on iTunes. Get the non-iTunes RSS feed Connect with Eric Siu: Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @ericosiu
Prior to Hawke, Erik founded, grew and sold two successful ecommerce companies. Huberman is the recipient of numerous awards including Forbes “30Under30,” Inc. Magazine's “Top 25 Marketing Influencers,” and Best in Biz North America's “Marketing Executive of the Year.” A regular contributor to major publications like Forbes, Entrepreneur and CS Q, Huberman is also a well-known keynote speaker. Erik Huberman is the founder and CEO of Hawke Media, the fastest growing marketing agency in the United States. Launched in 2014, Hawke Media has serviced over 1000 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Hawke Media has taken home numerous industry awards including inclusion on the Inc. 5000 2017 list of “Fastest Growing Companies”, Fortune Magazine's “50 Best Workplaces in Southern California” and Forbes' “Content Marketing Companies to Check Out in 2018. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theartofsuccess/support
The mistakes we, as entrepreneurs and hiring managers, make when building our companies. Often our need to fill overrides our logic in determining the fit between both parties and as result Core Values are often ignored. Assumptions, unclear expectations, and lack of diligence make for a perfect storm of a disastrous hire. Today’s Quote "Hiring people is like making friends. Pick good ones, and they'll enrich your life. Make bad choices, and they'll bring you down." - Jason Fried Show Guest Erik Huberman is the founder and CEO of Hawke Media, the fastest growing marketing agency in the United States. Launched in 2014, Hawke Media has serviced over 1000 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Hawke Media has taken home numerous industry awards including inclusion on the Inc. 5000 2017 list of “Fastest Growing Companies”, Fortune Magazine’s “50 Best Workplaces in Southern California” and Forbes’ “Content Marketing Companies to Check Out in 2018." "Prior to Hawke, Erik founded, grew and sold two successful e-commerce companies. Huberman is the recipient of numerous awards including Forbes “30 Under 30,” Inc. Magazine’s “Top 25 Marketing Influencers,” and Best in Biz North America’s “Marketing Executive of the Year.” A regular contributor to major publications like Forbes, Entrepreneur and CS Q. Huberman is also a well-known keynote speaker. Episode Highlights Break down one of your early hires and talk about the decisions that were made and why What we learned and how you can avoid making our mistakes Making a wrong Hire: Walk through the story Hired an executive, all-star, great background “Why would you buy a dog if you're the one barking on the corner” Discussing expectations, but not the HOW. Had a budget, revenue numbers, really clear… Takes time for executives to ramp up Hired from a large company- a different mindset Taking people through a more formalized process. Properly frames the mindset as a professional environment You are taken more seriously *Onboarding Process Didn’t have a process. Throw people to the wind Unprofessional entrance + people didn't view it professionally Made the mistake of selling perks Hired 7 people in the beginning, only one stayed past 6 months. Bridging the gap with the business. * Post hire, you are not done once you made the hire. Once someone is hired, real-time investment into their success. Rick’s Hiring Mistake Hiring Friends without clear expectations created an expectations document Key Takeaways Stick to a hiring process - It must be Professional The more senior the hire, the more time investment to align expectations - May take up to a year to come up to speed
Ross Beyeler knows a thing or two about ecommerce sites that convert. He's built a few sites that I really love. Charley Hustle (mostly because I'm a huge Chiefs Fan and KU Jayhawks fan), Bottle Keeper, Johnny Cupcakes, Assoline and more. We get into several key design, UX and conversion rate optimization topics and examples including: Home page optimization and how the approach shifts if you have a large vs. small SKU count Storytelling in ecommerce and why successful ecommerce brands are great storytellers Product Detail Page (PDP) “must haves” for a better experience and better conversions Creating better collection and improved navigation 4 conversion killers to avoid like the plague Site search and recommendations for doing this better especially for larger SKU counts How to mine site search data for improvements Plus more!
Adam Callinan, founder of BottleKeeper is here to tell us all about what it was like growing a business on Shark Tank, how to take a rough prototype and turn it into a successful product, and the importance of listening to customer feedback. Plus Jamie Geffen from Geffen Events is hanging out with Ben in the studio. She made the transition from television to owning her own event planning company. She shares some gems she’s learned from her years in business, and she lets us know what form of marketing is the most effective. And if you have a passion for flowers, our Lady Boss of the Week can teach you how to turn it into a successful business. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers
Erik Huberman is the founder and CEO of Hawke Media, the fastest growing marketing agency in the United States. Launched in 2014, Hawke Media has serviced over 1000 brands of all sizes, ranging from startups like Tamara Mellon, SiO Beauty and Bottlekeeper to household names like Red Bull, Verizon Wireless and Alibaba. Hawke Media has taken home numerous industry awards including inclusion on the Inc. 5000 2017 list of “Fastest Growing Companies”, Fortune Magazine’s “50 Best Workplaces in Southern California” and Forbes’ “Content Marketing Companies to Check Out in 2018.” Prior to Hawke, Erik founded, grew and sold two successful eCommerce companies. Huberman is the recipient of numerous awards including Forbes “30Under30,” Inc. Magazine’s “Top 25 Marketing Influencers,” and Best in Biz North America’s “Marketing Executive of the Year.” A regular contributor to major publications like Forbes, Entrepreneur and CSQ, Huberman is also a well-known keynote speaker. In this episode of the Just Go Grind Podcast we discuss Erik's previous entrepreneurial ventures, how Hawke Media became one of the fastest growing marketing agencies, the latest marketing trends, and so much more! Show notes: https://www.justgogrind.com/erik-huberman-podcast Just Go Grind Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justgogrind/ Just Go Grind Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/justgogrind/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justincharlesgordon/
Honored to have my friend Erik Huberman join me for the 7 Questions Podcast Game. Erik Huberman is the Founder & CEO of Hawke Media, a full-service Outsourced CMO based in Santa Monica, CA that launched in 2014 and has been valued at $60 million. In just 3 years, Hawke Media has grown from 7 to over 120 employees and has serviced 400+ brands including Raden, BeautyCon, Bottlekeeper, The Ridge Wallet, Buscemi, Red Bull, Evite, Verizon Wireless, HP. Hawke Media was recently named on the Inc 5000 list of “Fastest Growing Company’s” of 2017, one of CIOReview’s “Top 20 Most Promising Digital Marketing Solution Providers in 2017”, and a recipient of a gold STEVIE Award in the American Business Awards for “Company of the Year”. As a serial entrepreneur and brand marketing expert, Erik Huberman is a sought-after thought leader in the world of digital marketing, entrepreneurship, sales, and business. Prior to Hawke Media, Erik founded, grew and sold Swag of the Month and grew Ellie.com’s sales --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/7questions/support
"Deviate Drinking Club and Indy Winter Fest" This is our last ditch effort to score some Indy Winter Fest tickets. Should you be willing to donatesome to the cause, we shall gladly provide you with an honorable mention on the show. To demonstrate our willingness to sell out, we discuss two beers (per usual), but then try to hock products from Pico, and try to get others to go to Deviate and sign up for their Drinking Club. Limited spots are available!Our two beers this episode are:Deviate Brewing's Breakfast Club and Two Brothers Peppermint Bark Porter#WillyWonka#BreakfastClub#IndyWinterFest#NeverEndingStory#Pluto#Simpsons#MrBurns#BeverageBuddy#BottleKeeper#Pico
Today on The Unofficial Shopify Podcast we're talking about migrating to Shopify If you already have an ecommerce website or are using a different ecommerce platform for your business, it is important to make sure that your product information and other content make it over to Shopify. Ross Beyeler, a Shopify Plus expert, specializes in migrations, and joins us today to walk us through what a successful migration looks like. Ross is the Founder and CEO of Growth Spark, an agency that provides strategy, design and development services to e-commerce companies. Since its founding in 2008, Growth Spark has completed over 350 projects with brands including Bose, Newbury Comics, Johnny Cupcakes, BottleKeeper and many more. During that time, the firm has also received awards from Interactive Media Awards, Internet Retailer and BusinessWeek. Ross is a proud alum of Babson College where he occasionally guest lectures on topics including e-commerce, design and entrepreneurship. — Subscribe to The Unofficial Shopify Podcast on iTunes Subscribe to The Unofficial Shopify Podcast on Stitcher Subscribe to The Unofficial Shopify Podcast via RSS Join The Unofficial Shopify Podcast Facebook Group — Learn: Why do people migrate to Shopify? Which platforms are migrating to Shopify? How long does it take and what does it cost? How should you approach your migration project? What are the key components to a successful project that are often overlooked? How do you migrate data and why is it so hard? What can't you import? What are the technical aspects of a migration? What to expect with search engine ranking and optimization? Links: Growth Spark Free Guide I want to send you a sample chapter of Ecommerce Bootcamp, absolutely free. Tell me where to send your sample at ecommerce-bootcamp.com
The Brand Journalism Advantage Podcast With Phoebe Chongchua
Using automation technology to grow and increase productivity. Find out what you should do before you start automation and what you should watch out for to avoid failing. Adam Callinan co-founder of BottleKeeper which is an ecommerce Website that can be run completely from an iPhone shares how he started his online business. See the show notes.
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