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The changing times of today demand an even greater focus on finding balance between wellness and productivity. There’s a ceaseless need for getting the right products to help us fine tune our daily practices so that life is simpler. If you are also intrigued by and have wanted to dig deeper into the multitude of health and wellness products of today, Sisun Lee is just the right person for you to listen to. Join Chase and Sisun on this episode as they disentangle the intricate loops behind wellness products and practices. Sisun is the founder and CEO of More Labs, a consumer goods company building a wellness brand centered around helping you live your best life. One of their hero products is Morning Recovery, which is scientifically formulated to help you bounce back after drinking. His journey began in the tech industry, where he was a product manager across companies like Facebook and Tesla, Uber and Bay Area. It was when Sisun visited Korea for the first time in 2016 that he realized people in Korea drank quite a lot of alcohol. The locals there would hand him hangover drinks every night and totally hit him wild. Things took an unanticipated turn when in 2017, he met a doctor at UCLA who had published on a particular hero ingredient in hangover drinks. Fuelled by the want for finding the best ingredients, he went to LA and started More Labs. Together, they’re now building wellness products to help people create the lives they have always wanted for themselves! Honoring your health and well-being at all times is paramount. Tune in to the conversation with Sisun today for a treat of insights on all those health products you’ve wanted to know more about! Follow Sisun and More Labs @morelabs Follow Chase @chase_chewning Episode resources: Save 20% off your first purchase at Legion Athletics or get double reward points with code EVERFORWARD Learn more about More Labs
Sisun Lee is a former product manager from Facebook, Uber, and Tesla. He left tech and the Bay area to start More Labs and now resides in Canada. This episode is brought to you by Vanessa Severiano, LLC specializing in business development for fitness & wellness brands. For more info on The Business Side of Fitness visit: www.vanessaseveriano.com/podcast Connect with Vanessa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessaseveriano/ Want to be a guest or have a question about your business? Drop us a line hello@vanessaseveriano.com
This week on the 20 Minute Podcast the spotlight will be on a magical supplement drink that might cure some of our worst nightmares after a fun night out: hangover. We sat down with Sisun Lee, the Founder & CEO of More Labs, a company that makes science-backed supplements that combat modern-day stressors, like sleep fatigue, insomnia, and of course, hangover. Press play to learn about More Labs' signature morning recovery drink, the science behind it, and the other life hacking products they have to offer!
Major Robertson, Founder and CEO of Major Holdings, joins us to discuss how he buys online businesses and how he has quickly built a Private Equity Fund. Some questions Major Robertson answered in this episode: What did Major Robertson's college experience look like? When did you realize that college was not the right path for you? How did you teach yourself to code in high school? What was it about working in the corporate world that you didn't like? What was the first side job you had when you were working your corporate job? What was the point when you realized you should quit your corporate job? How did you think of the idea for your first business and how did it grow? Did you create your website from scratch or did you create it off of an existing website? What did creating your website and business look like? How did you overcome competition in the field? How did your business grow to where it is today? Why did your mindset shift from a lifestyle company to wanting to grow your business? What made you want to buy a second company and what was it? What made you want to grow your company to the size of where it is? What do you look for in a business to purchase? Where does Major Robertson find businesses to buy? Why are people selling their businesses? What does a business that you are not interested in buying look like? How do you hire your employees and what does managing look like for you? What does your interview process look like, how did you know they were a right fit for the company? What is the atmosphere in the office and how has it evolved? Is it stressful working in such close proximity to your employees? What's the dress code look like at Major Holdings? What are the commonalities in growing these companies? Is it difficult for your content creator to write content for multiple different industries? How has the city of Louisville helped or hindered the growth of Major Holdings? What advice would you give to those who think they are not able to build a start-up company in Louisville? Have you had a business you regret purchasing? Is there anything specific you look for when purchasing a company? What have been some of the lows in the business? Are there any companies or people you are modeling yourself of your company after? Are you planning to stick with online businesses? Where do you go to help fund your business purchases? What would you say to someone who is unhappy with their current path? Last call: What advice would your 60-year-old self give you today? Finish projects that you start. What advice would you give to a new entrepreneur? You don't have to be an inventor to create something new. Find something that's positive revenue and make it better. What is a book/documentary/podcast you would recommend? BiggerPockets Podcast Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki What is the best thing you spent money on in the last six months? Noise cancelling headphones What's your favorite thing to drink? Rosé Bubbles Fruited Ale Notes: It Doesn't Have to Be Crazy at Work Kentucky Small Business Tax Credit Story Louisville Louisville Open Coffee Club Empire Flippers Flippa Purchase your Drunken Money Swag!!! Enjoyed this episode? Feel free to contact Major Robertson at major@major.holdings. Also, check out our episode with Sisun Lee of Morning Recovery. Have any topics you want to be covered or amazing people you’d like us to interview? Let us know! You can email us at info@drunkenmoney.com. You can also find us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Linkedin. Please be sure to subscribe to our weekly mailing list at drunkenmoney.com/subscribe.
This episode features an interview with Sisun Lee, the co-founder and CEO of More Labs, a next-generation maker of functional beverages best known for hangover relief supplement Morning Recovery. Launched in 2017 via an Indiegogo campaign, the brand was an instant hit; Morning Recovery pulled in $3 million in revenue in its first six months on the market. Early success powered an $8 million Series A round -- based on a $33 million valuation -- in 2018 and new distribution at retailers like 7-Eleven and Urban Outfitters. In an interview with BevNET’s John Craven and Mike Schneider, Lee discussed the factors and strategic decisions that led to Morning Recovery’s rapid development, and how More Labs is attempting to create a platform for functional products. Show notes: 1:16: Live from Live -- On location in New York City, the hosts discussed highlights from day one of BevNET Live Summer 2019 and the preceding NOSH Live conference, including the New Beverage Showdown along with presentations and stage talks with vitaminwater/BodyArmor co-founder Mike Repole, Presence Marketing founder Bill Weiland, Caluipower founder/CEO Gail Becker and Whole Foods Market co-founder Walter Robb. 13:17: Interview: Sisun Lee, Co-Founder/CEO, More Labs -- In an interview recorded at More Labs headquarters, Lee spoke about how his background in tech and the influence of Korean culture played into the creation of Morning Recovery. He also discussed how a popular funding campaign on Indiegogo and a widely read article about the brand catapulted sales just a few months after its initial launch. Later, Lee spoke about the value of qualitative data and intuition as the company grew, how it sources consumer feedback and incorporates into its innovation strategy and why high-quality, minimalist content attracts more interest than communicating the science behind product. Brands in this episode: Vitaminwater, BodyArmor, Caulipower, Beckon Ice Cream, More Labs
Who hasn’t had a rough morning after a late night out? Sisun Lee, founder and CEO of More Labs, decided to do something about it with a drink that helps ease your hangover. And it’s backed by science, rigorously tested in the lab and among consumers in person and online, with plenty of feedback gathered to perfect the product. Along the way they went viral and More Labs went from 0 to $1 million in sales in their first few months. But soon they discovered that their product wasn’t what they thought it was… and their ideal target market was actually completely different.
I sat down with Sisun Lee, founder of 82 labs and the morning recovery product. What we discuss: When to go all in your business When to hire employees How to scale and market Finding the right consumers for your brand Shipping cost Return customer base - direct communication and expansion Re-branding and when the right time is
Sisun Lee, the founder of Morning Recovery, a hangover prevention company, shares his story behind one of 2018's most spectacular breakout startups.
Sisun Lee, founder and CEO of 82 Labs tells us what impact Facebook had on his career, how customs and visa issues almost killed his startup, and why there’s no magical hangover cure.
This week on the podcast we have Sisun Lee, the CEO and founder of Morning Recovery. Using functional ingredients that have been widely used by South Korean revelers for years, Morning Recovery takes the sting out of a night of heavy drinking so that you can do more the next day. The product launched on Indiegogo and immediately resonated with consumers, hitting 1000% of its crowdfunding goal and selling more than a million dollars in the first three months. And that’s not all. While the company is barely a year old, Sisun and the team have accomplished the following: 1.5 million bottles shipped worldwide, and built a $33 million dollar brand Announced $250K research fund with USC School of Pharmacy Grew from a team of 1 to 18 The path to Morning Recovery was anything but straight for Sisun, who began his career as a software engineer at places like Tesla, Uber, and Facebook. Sisun tells us how he ended up the savior of countless partiers across the world, while interviewer (and SnackNation CEO) Sean Kelly teases out the lessons learned along the way. Links Morning Recovery Connect with Sisun on LinkedIn How Morning Recovery built a $33 Million brand in less than a year. Have an idea for the show? Drop us a line! Brandbuilder@snacknation.com. Brand Builder is a co-production of SnackNation and ForceBrands.
Sisun Lee, Founder/CEO of Morning Recovery, joins us to discuss how he manages his startup's growth in Silicon Valley. Morning Recovery: Sisun explains how he came up with the idea for Morning Recovery and executed his idea into a successful company. His Korean heritage (and Koreans' affinity for drinking) was one of the keys to getting the idea for the product. He had tried similar drinks in Korea, and wanted to dive into the science behind the drinks and how he could create his own product. DHM, an antioxidant found in Korean raisin trees, is the secret to Morning Recovery's success. After creating the drink with the help of Dr. Jing Liang, a USC professor, Sisun gave prototypes to his friends at Tesla, Uber, and Facebook. Overwhelming demand forced Sisun to quit his job at Tesla and work full-time for Morning Recovery. Indiegogo was the first major step in evaluating market demand. Sisun explains how he manages the company's explosive growth. Being first to market was a major factor in the growth. To test Morning Recovery, Sisun would give his friends placebo bottles and measure against new formulas. Version 2 will be released soon, as the Morning Recovery team underestimated how much people drink with the release of Version 1. We were lucky enough to receive a sample of Version 2! Sisun tells us what it's like managing venture capital and potential investors in Silicon Valley (there are more investors willing to invest than Morning Recovery can accept!). Their Series A round will be launched in the first quarter of 2018. Silicon Valley has played a huge impact on the success of the company. It is much easier to be successful if you're surrounded by like-minded people. Sisun only considered in Los Angeles and New York for the headquarters of Morning Recovery. The location also plays a huge role in finding talent to work for the company. Small things, such as being able to go to parties with social media celebrities, provide invaluable exposure for the company. What separates successful startups in Silicon Valley from the others? It all comes down to execution and having a clear focus. Morning Recovery is not the first hangover cure, just as Soylent is not the first meal replacement. The success can be attributed to having great products and being very marketable. What is Sisun's "normal" work schedule? It's a fire drill - get the most urgent thing done everyday. Every employee is a generalist and can be called on to perform any task. It's impossible to think even one month ahead because of the intense workload. Everything is day-to-day. What's next with Morning Recovery? Version 2 is coming to market soon and should be the main product in the future. Version 1 was a good test and measure of customer demand, but was primiarily . There also could be pills/powder sold online to provide a cheaper alternative than a bottled drink. Last call questions and answers: What's the best career advice you've received? You need to focus on the most impactful thing the company needs, identify it, and get it done. Go above and beyond your job description. What advice would your 60-year-old self give you today? Be more bold (it seems many older people regret not taking action). The best thing you have spent money on in the past 6 months: Nami Sake What media do you recommend: Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman Favorite thing to drink: Nami Sake Whiskey Hennessy Cognac Special shoutouts and show notes: Indiegogo Tesla Uber Facebook Soylent - John's daily lunch Be sure to learn more about Sisun and Morning Recovery by checking out the company's website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Have any topics you want to be covered or amazing people you'd like us to interview? Let us know! You can email us at info@drunkenmoney.com. You can also find us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Linkedin. Please be sure to subscribe to our weekly mailing list at drunkenmoney.com/subscribe. About Sisun: Prior to starting Morning Recovery, Sisun was a staff product manager at Tesla, and a product manager at Uber and Facebook. He graduated with a Systems Design Engineering degree from the University of Waterloo. His story with Morning Recovery begins with his trip to Korea where he witnessed locals frequently taking drinking supplements after drinking alcohol. Back in the States, he dove into research, and created Morning Recovery with the goal of helping people get back their time. "We want you to wake up the next morning feeling amazing and ready to tackle your day." https://www.linkedin.com/in/sisunlee/