Podcasts about vasa martinez

In this episode of Food Chained, Matt Orr, Partner at Amin Talati Wasserman, joins us to discuss a new wave of civil lawsuits against CPG brands.  Things we discuss: What is Matt's background? What started these ADA Lawsuits? Early on = physical  Nowadays = digital  What happened with these types of lawsuits in California? What recourse do brands have? Proactive vs. Reactive plans Widgets Are these lawsuits defensible? What is the best proactive approach? Accessibility Policy Accessibility Plan Monthly or quarterly audits w/ published results Bonus if you have multiple 3rd party audits Have a specific worksheet for specific remediation efforts Show Notes: Connect with Bruce on LinkedIn Connect with Vasa Martinez on LinkedIn Connect with Matt on LinkedIn  Check out Amin Talati Wasserman Check out Perfy on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok Shop Perfy on Amazon Prime Sponsor:Food Chained is a Perfy podcast. A big thank you to our sponsor, Growthbuster. Growthbuster is a team of creatives and strategists that help food & beverage companies grow. Get 20% off your first month of services when you mention FOOD CHAINED here. 

In this gripping tale, Jenna, a tenacious entrepreneur, finds herself on a collision course with her new business partner, Snowman, Inc., a co-manufacturer shrouded in mystery and deception. As Jenna unearths chilling details about The Snowman, she finds herself on a dangerous journey through the shadows of the manufacturing underworld.Submit Your Horror Story: Your CPG Diary will be anonymized and dramatized so the story can see the light while you remain in the shadows.  Email podcast@drinkperfy.com with your story to be featured.  Show Notes: Connect with Bruce on LinkedIn Connect with Vasa Martinez on LinkedIn Check out Perfy on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok Shop Perfy on Amazon Prime Sponsor:Food Chained is a Perfy podcast brought to you by Growthbuster. Growthbuster is a team of creatives and strategists that help food & beverage companies grow. Get 20% off your first month of services when you mention FOOD CHAINED here. Growthbuster, wrote, produced, and designed this series of Food Chained. 

In the midst of an economic downturn, determined Food & Beverage CPG founder Chuck must navigate the treacherous challenges of Fundraiser Manor, where securing investments takes on a sinister twist. As he battles the malevolent forces of the manor and his industry's struggles, Chuck must prove that even in the darkest times, entrepreneurial spirit can triumph.Submit Your Horror Story: our CPG Horror Story will be anonymized and dramatized so the story can live while you remain in the shadows.  email podcast@drinkperfy.com with your story to be featured.  Show Notes: Connect with Bruce on LinkedIn Connect with Vasa Martinez on LinkedIn Check out Perfy on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok Shop Perfy on Amazon Prime Sponsor:Food Chained is a Perfy podcast brought to you by Growthbuster. Growthbuster is a team of creatives and strategists that help food & beverage companies grow. Get 20% off your first month of services when you mention FOOD CHAINED here. Growthbuster, wrote, produced, and designed this series of Food Chained. 

In this episode of Food Chained, Cody Berenson, VP of Operations & Services at Siddhi Capital, joins us to discuss common pitfalls that startups find themselves in and how to navigate them. We also introduce the podcast's new co-host, Bruce Cardenas, former Chief Communications Officer of Quest Nutrition.  Things we discuss: What is Siddhi Capital? What is its investment Thesis? Pitfalls Multipacks:  When?  Why?  Implications? Identifying your co-man and warehouse:  Relationship capital.  Preventing issues w/ thorough communication.  Repairing vendor relations.  When are brands ready to scale?  digital/print cans pros cons implications Show Notes: Connect with Bruce on LinkedIn Connect with Vasa Martinez on LinkedIn Connect with Cody on LinkedIn  Check out Siddhi Capital Check out Perfy on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok Shop Perfy on Amazon Prime Sponsor:Food Chained is a Perfy podcast brought to you by Growthbuster. Growthbuster is a team of creatives and strategists that help food & beverage companies grow. Get 20% off your first month of services when you mention FOOD CHAINED here. 

In this episode of Food Chained, Vir Satyan, SVP of Supplier Success at RangeMe shares his expertise on using LinkedIn to connect with buyers and brands, getting products into stores, and keeping up-to-date with emerging brands.Things we discuss: How Range Me got its name. Using LinkedIn to connect with buyers and brands. Networking events to separate the haves and the have-nots. Cool kids vs. the uncool kids on LinkedIn Getting into the stores Staying on top of emerging brands Show Notes: Connect with Vir on LinkedIn Check out RangeMe Check out Perfy on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok Connect with Vasa Martinez on LinkedIn and Twitter

On this episode of Food Chained, we're joined by Stacey Lee & Tiffany Yang from Sweety Ice Cream, how does being an attorney help with starting a CPG brand and what does food do in bridging cultures.Things we discuss: Being an attorney to start in CPG Bridging cultures in food Consulting for brands The Ethnic Aisle Show Notes: Connect with Stacey on Linkedin Connect with Tiffany on Linkedin Check out Sweety Ice Cream Check out Perfy on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok Connect with Vasa Martinez on LinkedIn and Twitter Check out Triple Whale Sponsor: • Use code PERFY for 15% off Triple Whale. Triple Whale's powerful analytics platform clarifies your ad performance across channels, keeping you instantly in the know.

On this episode of Food Chained, we're joined by Aaron Luo from Mercado Famous, discussing the intricacies of importing and exporting, as well as the importance of branding.Things we discuss:Shownotes: Aaron's finance and global supply chain background Imports/Exports Meat vs. Anti Meat consumers The importance of branding Making your brand feel human The process and regulations of Iberico Show Notes: Connect with Aaron on Linkedin Check out Mercado Famous Check out Perfy on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok Connect with Vasa Martinez on LinkedIn and Twitter Check out Triple Whale Sponsor: • Use code PERFY for 15% off Triple Whale. Triple Whale's powerful analytics platform clarifies your ad performance across channels, keeping you instantly in the know.

On this episode of Food Chained, we're joined by Alec Jaffe from Alec's Ice Cream, discussing the importance of sustainable agriculture and regenerative ingredients in the food industry.Things we discuss:How college sports drives culture at Alec'sA2 dairy - what's so special about it?How does Alec's come up with flavors?Owning your own production facilityWhat could Big Dairy be doing better?Running a frozen DTC channelQuality of life for farmersSustainable agricultureRegenerative ingredientsShow Notes:Connect with Alec on LinkedInCheck out Alec's Ice CreamCheck out Perfy on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTokConnect with Vasa Martinez on LinkedIn and TwitterCheck out Triple WhaleSponsor: • Use code PERFY for 15% off Triple Whale. Triple Whale's powerful analytics platform clarifies your ad performance across channels, keeping you instantly in the know.

In this episode of Food Chained, Justin Queen ( Merchant Development @ Snack Magic) joins us to discuss building stories behind the brand and the early days of launching a brand.Things we discuss:Brand AmbassadorsEarly days of launching a brandB2B AudienceData Driven CPGAnd more!Show Notes:Connect with Justin on LinkedInCheck out Snack MagicCheck out Perfy on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTokConnect with Vasa Martinez on LinkedIn and TwitterCheck out Triple WhaleSponsor: • Use code PERFY for 15% off Triple Whale. Triple Whale's powerful analytics platform clarifies your ad performance across channels, keeping you instantly in the know.

On this episode of Food Chained, Zoe Kahn (CX at Chomps) joins us for a conversation about customer experience, retention, and gaming.Things we discuss:Zoe's StoryGamingChompsRetentionWho would your brand be if they were a celebrity?And more!Show Notes:Connect with Zoe on LinkedInCheck out the Oopsie PodcastCheck out Chomps w/ code: ZOE15Check out Perfy on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTokConnect with Vasa Martinez on LinkedIn and TwitterCheck out Triple WhaleSponsor: • Use code PERFY for 15% off Triple Whale. Triple Whale's powerful analytics platform clarifies your ad performance across channels, keeping you instantly in the know.

Bricks and Clicks is hosted by Johnny Valeriote and Colin Davidson, two of the three managing partners at Omnium. Produced by Rolled Up, submit your comments and questions to us on Twitter.In this episode of Bricks and Clicks, Vasa Martinez, CEO of Perfy, shares with us the story of his low-sugar brain soda company that's designed to help fight issues like depression and pre-diabetes. From launching successfully after one year, building customer loyalty, and cutting costs at Expos, to creating a meme account and studying energy drinks, Vasa offers insights into the challenges and successes of starting a beverage company in a highly competitive market.

Save your space in line and join the waitlist for Willy today. Willy is the free ecommerce dashboard you can set up in seconds and bring real-time actionable insights to your team!In this episode of "You're Not Your Roas," Vasa Martinez, the CEO of Perfy, shares his journey of getting into entrepreneurship and how he turned his lemon into lemonade. He discusses the ins and outs of his business, including the subscription model, health benefits, and geotargeting, as well as his experiences with retail and e-commerce. Along the way, he also touches on his personal life and interests, from his morning routine and love for his dog to his admiration for Kobe Bryant and his passion for playing the drums.Connect with Vasa on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/vasamartinez/Enjoying this episode of ROAS? Make sure to check out our other shows on the Triple Whale Network.Oh. And before we forget...Join 20,000+ of the best ecommerce marketers + operators and get marketing breakdowns, expert advice, and insider marketing resources straight to your inbox, right here.Connect with us on social!

On this episode of Food Chained, Chris Moe (Founder of Cartograph) opens up the Amazon marketing playbook for us and shares an immense amount of wisdom.Things we discuss:Amazon vs. DTCBuy w/ PrimeAmazon Affiliate pushesFBA vs. FBMAmazon remarketingAmazon Private LabelAnd more!Show Notes:Connect with Chris on LinkedInCheck out CartographCheck out Perfy on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTokConnect with Vasa Martinez on LinkedIn and TwitterCheck out Triple Whale

On this episode of Food Chained, Amrit Richmond (Founder of Indie CPG) lends her extensive CPG knowledge to us and shares valuable tips and industry insights that you can apply to your business TODAY. Things we discuss:Leveraging Snack Magic dataRetail roadmap for startupsF&B trendsRetailer buyers doing due diligence on brands like investorsThe 3 R's of FundingEmily Sundberg's piece on smallwashingAnd more!Show Notes:Connect with Amrit on LinkedInCheck out Indie CPGCheck out Perfy on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTokConnect with Vasa Martinez on LinkedIn and TwitterCheck out Triple WhaleSponsor: • Use code PERFY for 15% off Triple Whale. Triple Whale's powerful analytics platform clarifies your ad performance across channels, keeping you instantly in the know.

Tom Shea, co-founder and CRO of Adgile Media Group, a next-gen out-of-home advertising company, shares how the company has evolved creatively and technologically since its inception. They now apply color psychology and other creative data points pulled from hundreds of campaigns and have applied those learnings to drive better outcomes for brands. Adgile is more than just an OOH media company, they are a data-driven digital marketing powerhouse applying cutting-edge behavioral psychology studies that support CPG brands of all types. For example, Adgile has conducted research showing that 96.3% of people believe that the branded vehicles they see on the road are delivering products on behalf of that brand, which has a positive impact on consumer perception and product sales.On this episode of Food Chained, Tom Shea (Co-founder and CRO of Adgile Media) shares how the company has evolved creatively and technologically since its inception.Things we discuss:How Adgile bridges the gap between OOH and digital media advertisingOOH best practicesColor psychologyBehavioral psychologyOOH attributionGPS + geofencingWhat's next for Adgile?And more!Show Notes:Connect with Tom on LinkedInCheck out AdgileCheck out Perfy on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTokConnect with Vasa Martinez on LinkedIn and TwitterCheck out Triple WhaleSponsor: • Use code PERFY for 15% off Triple Whale. Triple Whale's powerful analytics platform clarifies your ad performance across channels, keeping you instantly in the know.

On this episode of Food Chained, Bruce Cardenas (former CCO of Quest Nutrition and Brand Builder) shares how relationships and service to others have helped him grow some of the most recognizable brands in America.Things we discuss:Bruce's history in the military and LAPDHow he began working with Quest NutritionWorking for freeServing othersHow he became so well known in Sports NutritionAnd more!Show Notes:Connect with Bruce on LinkedInCheck out Perfy on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTokConnect with Vasa Martinez on LinkedIn and TwitterCheck out Triple WhaleSponsor: • Use code PERFY for 15% off Triple Whale. Triple Whale's powerful analytics platform clarifies your ad performance across channels, keeping you instantly in the know.

On this episode of Food Chained, Lucas Kraft (Co-founder & CMO of Wonderbelly) shares how creating a brand from a place of personal need comes from the heart...and guts.  Things we discuss: Relief should be something you enjoy, not endure Dealing with an ED and the long-term impact Digestive Health  Building an OTC (over-the-counter) brand Zoom filters (listen if you want to laugh) And more!  Show Notes: Check out Wonderbelly on LinkedIn Connect with Lucas on LinkedIn Wonderbelly website Check out Perfy on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok Connect with Vasa Martinez on LinkedIn and Twitter Check out Triple Whale Sponsor:   • Use code PERFY for 15% off Triple Whale. Triple Whale's powerful analytics platform clarifies your ad performance across channels, keeping you instantly in the know. 

On this episode of Food Chained, Lucas Kraft (Co-founder & CMO of Wonderbelly) shares how creating a brand from a place of personal need comes from the heart...and guts. Things we discuss:Relief should be something you enjoy, not endureDealing with an ED and the long-term impactDigestive Health Building an OTC (over-the-counter) brandZoom filters (listen if you want to laugh)And more! Check out Wonderbelly on LinkedInConnect with Lucas on LinkedInWonderbelly websiteCheck out Perfy on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTokConnect with Vasa Martinez on LinkedIn and TwitterCheck out Triple Whale • Use code PERFY for 15% off Triple Whale. Triple Whale's powerful analytics platform clarifies your ad performance across channels, keeping you instantly in the know.

On this episode of Food Chained, Stephen Caldwell (Founder & CEO of Rösti Stuft Spuds) shares his journey from globetrotting foodie to food founder. Things we discuss: Traveling the world as "research" :-P The history of Rösti How to win on QVC  Oregon State food scientists/R&D Form factor as a moat And more!  Show Notes: Check out Rösti Stuft Spuds on LinkedIn Connect with Stephen Caldwell on LinkedIn Where to buy Rösti Check out Perfy on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok Connect with Vasa Martinez on LinkedIn and Twitter Check out Triple Whale Sponsor:   • Use code PERFY for 15% off Triple Whale. Triple Whale's powerful analytics platform clarifies your ad performance across channels, keeping you instantly in the know. 

On this episode of Food Chained, Marilyn Yang (Co-founder of Popadelics) shares her journey from finance to food founder as she builds around underloved foods, starting with mushrooms.  Things we discuss: Finance background Business x life partnership Brand positioning  The need for product education in mushrooms Her biggest "oh shit!" moment And more!  Show Notes: Check out Popadelics Check out Perfy on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok Connect with Vasa Martinez on LinkedIn and Twitter Check out Triple Whale Sponsor:   • Use code PERFY for 15% off Triple Whale. Triple Whale's powerful analytics platform clarifies your ad performance across channels, keeping you instantly in the know. 

On this episode of Retention Chronicles, we go through some of our favorite season 2 moments with DTC technology partners and agencies. We feature highlights from Vasa Martinez, of Growthbuster and Perfy, Andy Warren at Tomorrow Agency, Mat Bingham at Okendo, Michael De Santis at Doris Dev and Canopy, Aaron Schwartz, formerly at Loop Returns, Luis Lluis of GrowthStable, Dan Caldwell at Klaviyo, and Adam Sharon-Zipser, Director & Nick Kennedy from Elephant Room & Giftnote.

In this episode of Food Chained, DG (Founder & CEO of Dream Pops) shares how he created his brand's dream world, from mom's kitchen to thousands of doors in just a few years.  Things we discuss: Finance background Dream Pops' origin story from mom's kitchen to commercial kitchen The built-in moat of having a dodecahedron form factor Brands that inspired DG The lay of the land before plant-based was en vogue Early capital-raising stories Creating your brand's dream world His social media strategy that every founder can use And more!  Show Notes: Connect with David Greenfeld on LinkedIn Check out Dream Pops Where to buy Dream Pops Check out Perfy on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok Connect with Vasa Martinez on LinkedIn and Twitter Check out Triple Whale Sponsor:   • Use code PERFY for 15% off Triple Whale. Triple Whale's powerful analytics platform clarifies your ad performance across channels, keeping you instantly in the know. 

In this episode of Food Chained, Jake Karls (Co-Founder of Mid-Day Squares) shares the MDS story, how the team thinks about relationship building, and how YOU are your superpower when building a brand.  Things we discuss: What did Jake do before MDS? MDS' origin story A media company that happens to sell chocolate The big brand that sent the C&D MDS' positioning evolution Owning production 30 under 30 How placement in store mattered so much for MDS And more!  Show Notes: Connect with Jake Karls on LinkedIn Check out Mid-Day Squares Where to buy Mid-Day Squares Check out Perfy on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok Connect with Vasa Martinez on LinkedIn and Twitter Check out Triple Whale Sponsor:   • Use code PERFY for 15% off Triple Whale. Triple Whale's powerful analytics platform clarifies your ad performance across channels, keeping you instantly in the know. 

In this episode of Food Chained, Paul Voge (Co-Founder and CEO) shares Aura Bora's origin story. From habits crafted by mom, to delivering the very first PO by hand in San Francisco.  Things we discuss: The start of Aura Bora Seasonal flavor drops Shark Tank Being uniquely yourself as a brand Green Bean Casserole Beards And more! Show Notes: Connect with Paul Voge on LinkedIn Check out Aura Bora Where to buy Aura Bora Check out Perfy on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok Connect with Vasa Martinez on LinkedIn and Twitter Check out Triple Whale Sponsor:   • Use code PERFY for 15% off Triple Whale. Triple Whale's powerful analytics platform clarifies your ad performance across channels, keeping you instantly in the know. 

In this episode of Food Chained, Kristin Charbo (Co-Founder of Glonuts) shares the Glonuts origin story and how a side hustle became her and Grover's main squeeze.  Things we discuss: Coffee cart -> donuts Funding the business (you have to listen to this) Being your own co-man Being your own 3PL Burnout, and how it has created so many startup CPG founders And more! Show Notes: Connect with Kristin Charbo on LinkedIn Check out Glonuts! Where to buy Glonuts Check out Perfy on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok Connect with Vasa Martinez on LinkedIn and Twitter Check out Triple Whale Sponsor:   • Use code PERFY for 15% off Triple Whale. Triple Whale's powerful analytics platform clarifies your ad performance across channels, keeping you instantly in the know. 

In this episode of Food Chained, Stu Davidoff (Founder & CEO of Gigantic!) joins us to share his journey from finance to building a candy bar empire.  Things we discuss: Finance -> Candy Bars Gigantic's guardrails during R&D Billy Corgan from Smashing Pumpkins How did the brand get its name? The trends moving from overly sweet to  "sortasweet" And more! Show Notes: Connect with Stu Davidoff on LinkedIn Check out Gigantic! Where to buy Gigantic! Check out Perfy on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok Connect with Vasa Martinez on LinkedIn and Twitter Check out Triple Whale Sponsor:   • Use code PERFY for 15% off Triple Whale. Triple Whale's powerful analytics platform clarifies your ad performance across channels, keeping you instantly in the know. 

In this episode of Food Chained, Matt Weiss (Founder & CEO of Rind Snacks) joins us to discuss his journey from finance to CPG founder. With a great-grandmother who instilled the idea of "roots, rinds, seeds, & stems" early on, Matt took this family lesson, coupled it with a finance background, and set off to create a high growth better-for-you snacking platform with an emphasis on reducing food waste.  Things we discuss: Living your dream vs. others' Upcycling  The shift from super sweet to tangy and zesty Selling stories vs. products His first "Oh, shit!" moment And more Show Notes: Connect with Matt Weiss on LinkedIn Check out Rind Snacks Where to find Rind Snacks Check out Perfy on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok Connect with Vasa Martinez on LinkedIn and Twitter Check out Triple Whale Sponsor:   • Use code PERFY for 15% off Triple Whale. Triple Whale's powerful analytics platform clarifies your ad performance across channels, keeping you instantly in the kno

Vasa Martinez created Perfy after he developed pre-diabetes (which he's now reversed). He needed to cut carbs and sugar from his diet. The traditional sodas and diet sodas he loved so much did nothing for him nutritionally (and were part of the reason I ended up pre-diabetic), and all of the healthier sodas were for gut health. So he created Perfy, a delicious, low-sugar soda enhanced with nootropics and adaptogens for a happy brain.In this episode we discuss his:R&D process for creating a beverageConverting online marketing to online salesUsing a NFT Doodle character to create a brand mascotAnd moreStartup to Scale is a podcast by Foodbevy, an online community to connect emerging food, beverage, and CPG founders to great resources and partners to grow their business. Visit us at Foodbevy.com to learn about becoming a member or an industry partner today.

In this episode of Food Chained, Phil Lempert (The Supermarket Guru) joins us to discuss supermarket trends & insights, as well as a variety of topics impacting today's food supply.  Things we discuss:• Phil's take on rising food prices and possible solutions• SKU discipline and the need for brands to consolidate offerings • Brands that have exercised SKU discipline well (Kerrygold, Liquid Death)• Leaders in Private Label like Nestle, Kirkland, Kroger/Albertsons • The pros and cons of PVL• Trends and insights moving into 2023 (indoor farming, plant-based evolution, meat packing, store brands, insect protein) • And much, much moreShow Notes: Connect with Phil Lempert on LinkedIn Check out Supermarket Guru Check out Perfy on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok Connect with Vasa Martinez on LinkedIn and Twitter Check out Triple Whale Sponsor:   • Use code PERFY for 15% off Triple Whale. Triple Whale's powerful analytics platform clarifies your ad performance across channels, keeping you instantly in the know.

In this episode of Food Chained, Delisa Harper (Co-founder of Funky Mello) joins us to discuss the origin of Funky Mello and how, during one fateful music festival, her marriage and business were born.  Things we discuss:• Spouses as Co-founders• Music Festivals as an incubator for life and business partnerships? :-P  • The importance of mentors and accelerators• Networking and partnerships• Farmer's Market => Whole Foods Market• Much more!Show Notes: Connect with Delisa Harper on LinkedIn Check out Funky Mello Check out Perfy on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok Connect with Vasa Martinez on LinkedIn and Twitter Check out Triple Whale Sponsor:   • Use code PERFY for 15% off Triple Whale. Triple Whale's powerful analytics platform clarifies your ad performance across channels, keeping you instantly in the know.

On this episode of the pod, Vasa joins Blaine & Ramon to talk about how brand building and product positioning. They also cover topics including creative direction, the role of content in growth initiatives, how to nail a creative brief, how to design content for different parts of the marketing funnel, learnings from working with some of the top brands in CPG, and much more. 5:05It started with content creation and the why behind content creation. I like to say, content within context, something along those lines. You can't just post pictures of your product. It's gotta balance information and entertainment and a bunch of other things. And there has to be a goal behind it. And it's not just like a shot in the dark, let's go viral type thing, which a lot of founders kind of think can happen, especially that don't have the, um, experience in CPG or in marketing in general.10:30But I think where people fail is in the creative creative brief process. So part of a creative brief is where is it going, the exhibition of it. But they don't really like chime into what problem are we solving, what's the goal? And most importantly, what part of the funnel are we in? So from a creative perspective, if you're running certain ads, top funnel, middle funnel and bottom funnel, you're saying different things. The top funnel might be a, this is why we exist, here's some cool things about our product, this is a problem we solve. You might be saying different things down further in the funnel.15:00 I speak always in the lens of food and beverage and for me the foundational element of creativity is how do you set up your positioning statement To me that is the Rosetta Stone of any brand. And there is a positive correlation between brands that know that like the back of their hand and how well they do and the brands that are figuring it. Like everyone's figuring it out. I figured it out for a period of time for Perfy, but the faster you can get to that, there it is, the better chance of success that you have. This episode is brought to you by OpenStore: Visit https://open.store to get a free, no-obligation offer for your e-commerce business from OpenStore in 24 hours. Have any questions about the show or topics you'd like us to explore further?Shoot us a DM; we'd love to hear from you. Want the weekly TL;DR of tips delivered to your mailbox?Check out our newsletter hereFollow us for content, clips, giveaways, & updates!DTCPod InstagramDTCPod TwitterDTCPod TikTokVasa Martinez - Founder & CEO of PerfyRamon Berrios - CEO of Trend.ioBlaine Bolus - Co-Founder of Seated

Most modern food & beverage brands utilize organic social marketing to some extent, but how many are actually getting the most out of their efforts? This week on Beyond the Shelf, we spoke with Vasa Martinez of Perfy, growthbuster, and Outer Aisle. In this episode, Vasa gave us some background into his extensive history in the food & beverage industry, including what led him to create growthbuster and Perfy. We also discussed what modern brands often misunderstand about organic social marketing, and why building a community is the best way to hit all points in a customer's journey.To stay up to date on all new episodes, subscribe to Beyond the Shelf on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, and iHeartRadio – and don't forget to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts.Beyond the Shelf is a food & beverage podcast that dives into a wide range of topics with guests from all corners of the food & beverage industry, including founders/CEO's, marketers, chefs, dietitians, researchers, and other influencers. Topics range from retail and production trends, expert tips on food marketing and advertising claims, to inspiring stories from food & beverage companies, popular chefs, and much more! From ChefsBest – taste and quality experts in the food and beverage industry.

In this episode of Food Chained, Jason Wright (Founder of Wilde Chips) joins us to discuss his journey from Abercrombie & Fitch, to creating his own granola, to Wilde Chips...and everything in between.  Things we discuss:• Jason's story • Entrepreneurial learnings from past business ventures• A HILARIOUS Abercrombie photoshoot• Wilde's Repositioning and how it can help YOU• Overall vibes• Much more!Show Notes: Connect with Jason Wright on LinkedIn Check out Wilde Chips Check out Perfy on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok Connect with Vasa Martinez on LinkedIn and Twitter Check out Triple Whale Sponsor:   • Use code PERFY for 15% off Triple Whale. Triple Whale's powerful analytics platform clarifies your ad performance across channels, keeping you instantly in the know

This episode we're joined by Vasa Martinez, Founder of Growthbuster, an ecommerce agency, and Perfy, a beverage brand, as well as the CMO at Outer Aisle. On today's episode we talk aboutVasa's internship with Quest Nutrition BarsDeveloping a network early in your career to learn from the bestWhen to outsource to get the job done vs when to keep it in houseCreating a rolodex, or a housefile, to know your audienceShifting your retention strategy based on the quarterHow to get people to continue to open email and SMSAs well as how being authentic manifests a better connect with your customerBe sure to subscribe to our pod to stay up-to-date and checkout Malomo, the leading order tracking platform for Shopify brands at gomalomo.com.

In this episode of Food Chained, Matt Cotton (Founder of Rooted Food Sales) shares an immense amount of knowledge regarding the Food Service channel for food & beverage brands. If you're a broker...you probably don't want to listen to this one. :-P  Things we discuss:• Matt's story• Food Service as a GTM strategy• Why is Food Service so "clean" in a business sense?• Why do brokers have such a bad rep?• Fixed retainer + commission or just commission?• Much more!Show Notes: Connect with Matt Cotton on LinkedIn Check out Rooted Food Sales Check out Perfy on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok Connect with Vasa Martinez on LinkedIn and Twitter Check out Triple Whale Sponsor:   • Use code PERFY for 15% off Triple Whale. Triple Whale's powerful analytics platform clarifies your ad performance across channels, keeping you instantly in the know

In this episode of Food Chained, Shray Joshi (Founder of Good Peeps) shares some personal stories and how those have shaped his career. We also open up about fun and creative ideas we've had at past jobs that never quite reached the finish line. Tune in to learn a lot more about some Good Peeps.  Things we discuss:• Shray's story• Building brand vs. depending on ad spend• Fun brand ideas that never reached the finish line• Social/Influencer/Creator• Thoughts on the dark side of TikTok Show Notes: Connect with Shray Joshi on LinkedIn  Check out Good Peeps Check out Perfy on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok Connect with Vasa Martinez on LinkedIn and Twitter Check out Triple Whale Sponsor:   • Use code PERFY for 15% off Triple Whale. Triple Whale's powerful analytics platform clarifies your ad performance across channels, keeping you instantly in the knos 

In this episode of Food Chained, Hector Saldívar (Founder of Tia Lupita) shares his journey from Mexico to Norcal. Hector is a founder that has done it all. He's worked all of the jobs in a CPG business that you can imagine. But that's not the only similarity that Hector and I have...we both honor our moms with our brands. Things we discuss:• Hector's history• The story of Tia Lupita (his mom)• Stereotypes in the "ethnic" aisles• Recipes as family heirlooms• and much more!Show Notes: Connect with Hector Saldívar on LinkedIn  Check out Tia Lupita Check out Perfy on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok Connect with Vasa Martinez on LinkedIn and Twitter Check out Triple Whale Sponsor:   • Use code PERFY for 15% off Triple Whale. Triple Whale's powerful analytics platform clarifies your ad performance across channels, keeping you instantly in the know

In this episode of Food Chained, Will Nitze (CEO of IQBAR) joins us to talk about how a job in software coupled with the Standard American Diet led him to create IQBAR. A functional protein bar and hydration mix for your brain.  Things you'll learn:• Will's history• Standard American Diet leading to brain fog• The connection between nutrition and cognition• The book that unlocked it all for Will• How IQBAR was first funded• Strategy behind the product and what the customer needsShow Notes: Connect with Will Nitze on LinkedIn  Check out IQBAR Find IQBAR in store Check out Perfy on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok Connect with Vasa Martinez on LinkedIn and Twitter Sponsor:   • Use code PERFY for 15% off Triple Whale. Triple Whale's powerful analytics platform clarifies your ad performance across channels, keeping you instantly in the know. 

In this episode of Food Chained, Kendall Dickieson joins us to discuss the state of organic social and UGC. Kendall is the founder of Flexible Creative, a boutique consultancy that works with a handful of the rising stars in CPG like Graza, Immi, Starday Foods, and more.Things you'll learn:• Kendall's origin story as a "Pintern"• What's cooking with YouTube Shorts?• Why copypasta isn't a viable strategy in food & beverage• How to repurpose content• Commercial music...are influencers brands?• SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGERS ARE UNDERVALUEDShow Notes: Connect with Kendall Dickieson on LinkedIn and Twitter Check out Perfy on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok Connect with Vasa Martinez on LinkedIn and Twitter Sponsor:   • Use code PERFY for 15% off Triple Whale. Triple Whale's powerful analytics platform clarifies your ad performance across channels, keeping you instantly in the know. 

In this episode of Food Chained, Andrew Benin joins us to discuss his new hit product, Graza. Graza is a premium olive oil packaged in beautiful squeeze bottles for two different occasions –– sizzling and drizzling. When he noticed chefs in New York often using squeeze bottles, coupled with his and his wife's connection to Spain, Andrew put two and two together. The result? Massive demand for Graza.Tune in to learn more about Andrew, the business, and achieving product market fit. Show Notes: Connect with Andrew Benin on LinkedIn Check out Graza on Instagram and TikTok Check out Perfy on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok Connect with Vasa Martinez on LinkedIn and Twitter

In this episode, Vasa and Mark Metry discuss "The New Food Pyramid" and the impact that food and drink have on brain health.  Show Links: Connect with Mark Metry on LinkedIn Check out Perfy on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok Connect with Vasa Martinez on LinkedIn and Twitter Food Pyramid Article Conflicts of Interest Climate Change x Obesity Article 

In this episode of Food Chained, Sarah Grosz provides an immense amount of value when it comes to influencer marketing and the state of the creator economy. You'll learn about:• how to measure ROI on influencer initiatives• what to do and what not to do when negotiating• creating processes for influencer marketing• goal-based KPIs• Influencer Network Score (a term coined by Sarah)Show Links: Connect with Sarah Grosz on LinkedIn Check out Perfy on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok Connect with Vasa Martinez on LinkedIn and Twitter

In this episode, Vasa steps aside from the host seat and serves as the guest...GUEST. Kane Lewandowski reached out to Vasa with several hard-hitting, great questions on LinkedIn. So Vasa decided to turn his answers into an episode of Food Chained. Some of the questions:• How much does it cost to start?• How do you get into retailers?• Where do you create products?• How does it get manufactured?• What are some cautionary tales someone like me should watch out for?• I understand that when it comes to software you want a minimum viable product, does a similar idea apply with CPG?Show Links: Connect with Kane Lewandowski on LinkedIn Check out Perfy on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok Connect with Vasa Martinez on LinkedIn and Twitter

This episode is also brought to you by Sendlane.   The goal at Perfy is to bridge the gap between unhealthy food and healthier substitutes, says Vasa Martinez, Founder and CEO of Perfy, a low-sugar soda brand focused on brain health.   "The early reviews of Perfy from diabetics and folks in the fitness industry, which I call two of the highest detractors of soda - they can't tell the difference, and they love it," Vasa says.   The spark to create the Perfy soda came from a bout of depression that Vasa was going through in 2015, which led him to stop exercising and spend too many hours at work.   "I think human nature is to find some connection with other people," Vasa says. "People want to connect. And my goal with Perfy is, hey, soda might not be for you, Perfy might not be for you, and the flavors might not. Whatever it may be, I might not be for you. But the idea behind it is if you can create a connection with others and others know that there's a real human behind the brand."   In Part 1, Vasa talks about:   * Gratitude for the appreciation and feedback from the brand's consumers. * An overview of the brand. * Early reviews of the soda. * How his depression led to the creation of the brand. * The product's essential ingredients. * The importance of personal connection.   Join Ramon Vela and Vasa Martinez as they break down the inside story on The Story of a Brand.   For more on Perfy, visit: https://drinkperfy.com/    Subscribe and Listen to the podcast on all major apps. Simply search for “The Story of a Brand,” or click here to listen on your favorite podcast player: Listen now.   *   This episode is brought to you by Sendlane.   Alright, guys, here's the deal: I have a gift for you from our primary Sponsor — Sendlane. They're giving away their online course eCommerce Academy - Email & SMS Marketing!   This course gives you the step-by-step playbook to drive more revenue and retention with email & SMS. This is normally a $500 package, but for our listeners, it's entirely FREE when you get started with your FREE 14-day trial of Sendlane.   When you do, chat with their support team and let them know you're one of our listeners to get full access to hours of course content that will help you make email marketing your #1 growth engine.   Visit https://storybrandgift.com to get the details, sign up for a free trial and get your gift!

This episode is also brought to you by Sendlane.   Part of Vasa Martinez's strategy when forming Perfy was recognizing what he was good at and what he needed help with, he says. His company makes low-sugar soda that's focused on brain health.   "The first thing I did once I was in the right place as I found the right R&D group," Vasa says. "Once R&D came along, they advised which groups of ops I should chat with. I chose the one that I wanted to work with the most. I learned a lot along the way."   As for other entrepreneurs considering starting a new brand, Vasa offers this advice: "If it's not something that you can live, breathe and sleep every single day for an unknown amount of time - essentially the rest of your life - don't do it."   Likewise, those just doing it for the money should also reconsider that plan. And conversely, Vasa says to be prepared to lose it all.   "I've got a decade of experience - I know my weaknesses, I know my strengths," he says. "I'm going to hire for my weaknesses, and I will hire for my strengths when the time is right. It's just not the first hire that I'm going to make because at some point, there will be smarter people than me, and my job is to hire smarter people and let them do the jobs."   The brand's tagline is "for a happy you or a happy brain."   "That's a fun way of saying that, hey, this is a soda that's low sugar and good for the brain," he says. There are many gut health drinks, and I saw an opportunity based on one."   Perfy's plans include a new flavor, "Dr. Perfy" - a take on Dr. Pepper.   In Part 2, Vasa talks about:   * How he focused on marketing and found help with R&D and ops. * Hiring people smarter than he is. * Advice for other entrepreneurs. * Why it's important not to start a brand for the money. * A tour of the Perfy website. * A closer look at the products. * An explanation of metabolic health. * Where to find the soda.   Join Ramon Vela and Vasa Martinez as they break down the inside story on The Story of a Brand.   For more on Perfy, visit: https://drinkperfy.com/    Subscribe and Listen to the podcast on all major apps. Simply search for “The Story of a Brand,” or click here to listen on your favorite podcast player: Listen now.   *   This episode is brought to you by Sendlane.   Alright, guys, here's the deal: I have a gift for you from our primary Sponsor — Sendlane. They're giving away their online course eCommerce Academy - Email & SMS Marketing!   This course gives you the step-by-step playbook to drive more revenue and retention with email & SMS. This is normally a $500 package, but for our listeners, it's entirely FREE when you get started with your FREE 14-day trial of Sendlane.   When you do, chat with their support team and let them know you're one of our listeners to get full access to hours of course content that will help you make email marketing your #1 growth engine.   Visit https://storybrandgift.com to get the details, sign up for a free trial and get your gift!

Did you know Filipinos make up the second-largest Asian American community in the United States? Yet there is no representation of that culture on most grocery store shelves. Jake Deleon wanted to change that, so he founded Fila Manila, a company devoted to bringing authentic and all-natural Filipino cuisine to mainstream grocery stores. Today, three of Fila Manila's SKUs have hit number one on three separate Amazon lists. In this episode, Jake shares the story of his startup, why fundraising is so hard, and the importance of networking for entrepreneurs.Show Links: Check out Fila Manila Connect with Jake Deleon on LinkedIn and Twitter  Check out Perfy on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok Connect with Vasa Martinez on LinkedIn and Twitter

In the world of plant-based ice cream, it's hard to find a dairy substitute that has the right texture and flavor, yet is also eco-friendly. Enter: hemp. Hemp seeds and hemp hearts are nutritional, functional, and sustainable. Kirsten Sutaria, founder of Doozy Pots, understands the challenges of building an eco-friendly business. But through hard work and integrity, Kirsten has learned how to source sustainable ingredients and market an unconventional product. In this episode, Kirsten shares her background in food, what inspired the name Doozy Pots, and why it's so hard to build an eco-friendly business.Show Links: Check out Doozy Pots Connect with Kirsten Sutaria on LinkedIn Check out Perfy on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok Connect with Vasa Martinez on LinkedIn and Twitter

We talk beverages, launching with experience in digital, going to retail instead of DTC, and marketing.

Have you ever heard the term “Listen to your gut”? Well, it turns out your gut is responsible for more than just good intuition. A healthy gut microbiome is linked with cellular health, better brain function, and even the way we age. And Kirten Parekh, co-founder of Klora, wants people to know that a healthier way of living is within reach. In this episode, Kirten explains the importance of having a healthy gut microbiome, the gut-brain connection, and how Klora is bringing high-end science to regular consumers.Show Links: Check out Klora Connect with Kirten Parekh on LinkedIn and Twitter  Check out Perfy on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok Connect with Vasa Martinez on LinkedIn and Twitter

Healthy versions of your favorite snacks are often disappointing because they lack the same texture or flavor. So when Matt Parry decided to make a healthier version of Pringles, he didn't just want a snack that was made up of better ingredients. He wanted it to taste better, too. So he co-founded The Good Crisp Company, which has created a gluten-free chip without artificial colors or flavors that beats Pringles in blind taste-testing. In this episode, Matt shared about the origins of his chip company, how to find the right product-market fit, and why it's important to perfect your product before your company scales. Check out The Good Crisp Company Connect with Matt Parry on LinkedIn and Twitter  Check out Perfy on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok Connect with Vasa Martinez on LinkedIn and Twitter

The ketogenic diet is taking the world by storm. Everyone knows the benefits of lowering refined carbohydrate consumption, and ketosis is an optimal state for the human body. But it can be hard to tell the difference between truly keto-friendly foods and unhealthy items that have co-opted the keto label. Dr. Ryan Lowery, CEO at Ketogenic.com and President and Co-founder of Applied Science & Performance Institute, is an expert on ketogenic diets. In this episode, Ryan shared with us how to tell the difference between keto and non-keto items, why it's important to get your diet back to the basics, and how keeping your body healthy can prevent cognitive decline.Show Links: Check out Ketogenic.com  Connect with Dr. Ryan Lowery on LinkedIn and Twitter  Check out Perfy on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok Connect with Vasa Martinez on LinkedIn and Twitter

In the world of beverage creation, it's hard to come up with a new angle. But after Kayla Castañeda had spent a decade working in the beverage industry, she decided it was time to make something of her own. Taking inspiration from her cultural heritage, Kayla decided to put a healthy spin on classic aguas frescas, and the company Agua Bonita was born. Ethically made and good for the consumer and the planet, Agua Bonita's drinks are a fruit-forward beverage that pays homage to its cultural roots. In this episode, Kayla told us the story of her startup, how she dealt with copycats, and why failure shouldn't discourage you. Check out Agua Bonita  Check out Perfy Connect with Kayla Castañeda on LinkedIn  Check out Perfy on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok Connect with Vasa Martinez on LinkedIn and Twitter Save 15% on Perfy with code: FOODCHAINED15

Do your late-night snacking tendencies lead you to chips, cookies, and other unhealthy foods? Late-night snacking was Damien Law's weakness, but he thinks he's found the solution. Damien, founder of Effin' Good Snacks, has created a healthy alternative to your typical late-night junk food. Effin' Good cookies are low carb, low sugar, and are even a great source of magnesium, which can help you fall asleep after a late-night snacking session. In this episode, Damien shared the entrepreneurial journey that led him to create Effin' Good Snacks and why today's founders should look to platforms like TikTok for organic marketing. Check out Effin' Good Snacks Connect with Damien Law on LinkedIn Check out Perfy on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok Connect with Vasa Martinez on LinkedIn and Twitter Pre-order Effin' Good Snacks  15% off Perfy Superfood Soda FOODCHAINED15

There's a massive disparity between the wealth of the chocolate industry and the poverty of cocoa farmers. But Fatima-Zohra Hakam hopes to change that. Fatima-Zohra founded her chocolate company ZORA to create and celebrate ethically-made chocolate. By working directly with farmers and cooperatives in a bean-to-bar process, Fatima-Zohra is trying to bridge the gap between cocoa farmers and chocolate consumers. In this episode, founder and CEO of Perfy Vasa Martinez interviewed Fatima-Zohra about the cocoa industry's shortcomings, how ZORA has risen to meet the challenge, and why transparency is key to an ethical chocolate business. Checkout Perfy  Check out ZORA Chocolate Connect with Fatima-Zohra Hakam (FZ) on LinkedIn and Twitter  Check out Perfy on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok Connect with Vasa Martinez on LinkedIn and Twitter 15% off ZORA Chocolate FOODCHAINED15 15% off Perfy Soda FOODCHAINED15

Our guest today is here to share actionable advice on creating social content that drives results, how to measure those results properly, and an inside look at what's working best in 2021. Vasa Martinez joins the Wavebreak Podcast to talk about his experience creating amazing results for clients across community, creative, and innovation.In this episode you'll learn:How Growth Buster creates their content calendar, including how far out it's scheduled, how they mix-in evergreen content with topical content, and whether they take a quality or quantity approach to social posting.Why Vasa doesn't buy into the traditional formula for measuring the effectiveness of social posts, and the alternative formula he uses as his gold standard.What kinds of social content are working the best in 2021? Hint: It's not video.Vasa Martinez is Founder of Growth Buster, a digital + retail marketing agency and CMO of Outer Aisle. Join Our Private Email ListOur industry-leading DTC newsletter is trusted by ecommerce and marketing leaders at top brands like Goop, Skims, Cartier, Walmart, and thousands more.Click here to sign up ->Links MentionedGrowth BusterLearn more about Wavebreak: the email & CRM agency for high-growth DTC brandsSponsored by KlaviyoKlaviyo — Over 265,000 innovative brands are growing their businesses by listening and understanding to cues from their customers--easily turning that information into valuable marketing messages used to build highly segmented, automated email & SMS campaigns, such as win back campaigns or abandoned cart recovery and more.

Vasa Martinez is the founder and CEO of Growthbuster, a remote marketing agency that has helped food and beverage brands reach new heights with community, creative, and innovation. After years of CPG experience working with many brands, Vasa started building his own company focused on the outsourced marketing department. Today he joins us to talk about his experience with brands, how he positioned his agency as the solution clients need, and why you need to follow your north star. 3 Golden Nuggets Bet on yourself. A lot of times a company might be really attached to “vanity metrics” and turn to buying followers. This is a really ineffective measure, as they usually find out when they hire an expert. Trying to steer clients away from shady practices like bots or buying clients, this company started making bets that they would grow their social media in four months. Trusting their methods has helped them win many of those bets. Follow your North Star. As a rule, Vasa and his team make it a point to work with companies that are solving a problem in the world. This aligns with their core value of “human first, business second”. That has led to saying no to brands that could bring in a lot of revenue but don't really fit with the agency's values. For his part, Vasa says their north star is not growth if it comes at the cost of his values or his team's mental health. Don't compromise your team's mental health. This is a very demanding industry but running a solvent business, working with some really cool brands, and scaling your agency shouldn't come at the cost of your team's mental health. Respect people's rest time. As agency owners, we sometimes end up working weird hours but don't expect everyone on your team to do the same. Follow Your North Star and Position Your Agency as a Solution Jason: [00:00:00] Hey, what's up everybody? Jason Swenk here, and I'm excited to have another really good episode, a really amazing guest. He's going to talk about how did they position their agency as an outside marketing solution for companies coming in. So let's go ahead and jump into the show. All right, Vasa. What's going on, man? Vasa: [00:00:25] What's up. What's up? How are you? Jason: [00:00:27] I'm excited to have you on, so tell us who you are and what do you do? Vasa: [00:00:30] My name it's Vasa Martinez. I'm the founder and CEO of Growthbuster, an outsourced marketing department. I'm also the CMO of Outer Aisle, which is a food brand that creates cauliflower sandwiches and pizza crust. Jason: [00:00:43] Very cool. And so with the agency, how'd you get your start? Why did you guys jump into this world? Vasa: [00:00:48] Well, I found that I had some ideas that I wanted to see brought to life, and working as an employee wasn't the best way to do that. So in the back half of 2017, I started consulting rather than being a full-time employee. And that turns into, uh, you know. At the beginning of 2018, I incorporated what became Growthbuster and started building from there. Jason: [00:01:06] Awesome. And talk about kind of, why did you choose to kind of position? Or why are you guys going after the outsource marketing department? Vasa: [00:01:17] For me, it's, it's nice to have a group of specialists and a group of generalists all on the same team when we work with different brands. I'm typically running point on, on the account. So we never pass it off to an account manager that's just out of college or anything like that. So having that team behind you, that support, is the most helpful. You know, having the graphic designer or having, you know, an email marketer or a copywriter, uh, rather than just focusing on being a paid agency or a social media marketing agency. It just wasn't enough for me and part of it was, you know, I treat GB as a CPG company. We work mostly with CPG companies, food and beverage, and I was listening to a lot of our potential clients, what they wanted. And wherever we could, we solely tacked on, you know, those, those resources. Jason: [00:02:00] So, how do you position yourself different than all the other agencies out there? Vasa: [00:02:04] Well, I don't really look at too many other agencies, to be honest. I, I focus on what we do and what we do best. Um, you know what my background is at Quest Nutrition and creative and community was one of our main focuses in the marketing department. We also, you know, as my first stint in marketing, I left a previous industry. Really enjoyed it, and we had our own creative department as well. So we never worked with any agencies. So I've kind of learned like the project management systems, you know, all the copywriting, everything as a generalist at first. And I went into content marketing for one of the arms. That's kind of why we went in that direction, is simply because it's what I started with. It was nice to have and I love it. Jason: [00:02:40] Very cool. And so what are some things that really you guys do really well that you've figured out over the past couple of years of running the agency? Vasa: [00:02:50] So we've always been known for our creative. Uh, we work with a couple awesome brands like Magic Spoon. In the past, we've worked with just some of the coolest CPG challenger brands out there. So we're definitely known for our creative. But early on we used to be known for how quickly we can escalate social growth. We don't buy followers, we don't use bots. We don't do anything shady like that. So we would literally have bets with new clients that we would double their social within the first four months, one month onboarding three-month execution. And we won a lot of bets that way. Since then, you know, everything's always changing on IG and Facebook. So we've really made adjustments and evolved along the way. So, um, back then, community and creative, 100% we were known for, we still are, but since the pandemic, we really dove into our innovation department. What that is, is basically acquisition and retention with an emphasis on SMS. Jason: [00:03:37] So when you would go to your clients and you would bet them, hey, we can double this. What were some of the things that you did that would help get more engagement, double their, you know, numbers and all that? Vasa: [00:03:50] I can think of one good example. And we're still currently with them three years later and that's Outer Aisle. They have 18,000 followers when we first started and 93% of them were in Rio de Janeiro. Interesting part there, is that Outer Aisle doesn't ship to Rio de Janeiro. And we really had to displace those followers that cannot be buyers and bring in a lot of folks who could be buyers. So what we did was run our playbook on the content marketing, identifying what the RTBs are, our reasons to believe. For Outer Aisle that's low-carb, gluten-free, grain-free bread that's delicious. And easy. So, and it's virtually of pretty much anything. So the goal of ours was trial. Our influencer funnel, we work on just constant trial. We call it targeted trial. And from there, we bring them down the funnel to five different ways to win. That's, you know, sentiment. What do they think about the product? They hate it. Hey, thanks. We'll see you later. They love it. Well, what else can we do together? Can we send you more? Um, do you want to be an affiliate? You want to be activated for our next paid campaign and retail rollout? Uh, do you want to be an ambassador? Things like that. So the trial, like product in mouth, was 100% a main focus for us. Um, really honing in on what the messaging was at that time. It was a little bit different. We did a rebrand in 2019 and the messaging at that point, was always focused on low carb, grain-free gluten-free. That's what people care about. And we focus our influencer efforts there. People started seeing it. We started attracting the social proof using that on the back end, using that in ads. The other component of that was, um, brand partnerships. We worked with a lot of different low carb keto brands, grain-free brands. And what we did was by, I think it was, was actually like two months that we doubled out their following from 18 to 36K. And when we looked at the displacement where the original was 93%. It was now closer to 40, 50%. And at this point today it's 93% US for the 142,000 followers. Jason: [00:05:38] Oh, wow. Yeah. You know, not too long ago or maybe, maybe this? I don't know. I keep losing track of time. Two years ago, I had Facebook reach out and was like, hey, we're reaching out to influencers in this space that we want to grow your account. I was like, sure, you can grow it. And the next thing I knew, I had like 40,000 more whatever likes on Facebook. And then I started looking at the names and I'm like, what is going on? It was all like, I couldn't even pronounce the names and I couldn't believe Facebook would do something like that. And so, yeah, that kind of perked me. I really like your, your strategy of how, uh, how you've grown it. Vasa: [00:06:18] Yeah. The tough part about that too, is what stakeholders don't realize. And we don't work with brands that buy followers or have bought followers. We've done it in the past. We've literally switched their accounts and started fresh. What they don't realize is that what to them is a vanity metric like, oh, investors need to see a hundred thousand followers or my peers need to see a hundred thousand followers and know I'm legit. When you start passing your accounts off to a paid agency and they, they believe that these are real. There's not much for them to work with. But on top of that, let's just say that they're, they make it look like audience for engagers and you just bought engagement. They're making it look like audience of people that are ghosts that just don't exist. So, um, that's one thing that people don't realize when you, when you tell them, hey, you're wasting money and this is why then they're like, oh, buying followers isn't that cool. Jason: [00:07:05] Oh, yeah, definitely. Well, I'm still trying to, I'm so complexed at what Facebook did. I'm sure they probably outsourced it to someone to do that, but I kind of laugh. I kind of leave it because everybody kind of uses me as the lookalike audience. I'm like, oh, you're going to target to the wrong people, suckers! Vasa: [00:07:22] Yeah. That's very true. Jason: [00:07:25] Awesome. Well, what's your guys' North Star? Like what, what really kind of drives the agency for, uh, you know, getting to the next step? Vasa: [00:07:33] Yeah. So our north star is being human first business, business second. Always has been, always will be. There's a lot of times in my history where my career, where ethics, weren't the number one thing that I've come across. So for me, I learned a lot about how to be from learning and watching people and seeing how I don't want to be. So that's how I run the agency. What our north star is, it's not necessarily growth. Yeah. Growth is nice, you know, to be a $10 million agency instead of one half for 2 million. Yeah. That's great. But at what cost? You know, employee, um, mental health is important to me. Like we worked 40 hour weeks. I never had hit people up on the weekends. My, my signature literally says, hey, I work weird hours. If you see this at the time, when you're not working, just reach out to me when you are working, don't think about responding to it. So for me, the north star is running a solvent business, working with some really cool brands and not sacrificing employee's health as a result, I can tell you this, I didn't look like this when I first started GB. So I I'm like the first-hand experience of what I don't want my employees to feel like or turn into. But at the end of the day, you know, another, another north star of ours is, uh, we don't work with brands that don't solve a problem. We've said no to a lot of brands that, yeah, we could have done so much more in revenue. But we love working with brands that are solving a problem for people. And that really starts, again, going back to my experience at Quest Nutrition, we solved the problem there. Not me personally, but it was solved before I got there. And that was creating a bar that was actually good for you. And we've turned down lucrative offers with brands where they just weren't as… we'll say, just their north start was a bit skewed, you know, there's ingredients in there that, that weren't very good. So that's our second north star is working with brands, helping brands grow that are really solving a food problem. Jason: [00:09:18] Did you start off that way? Because a lot of times it's hard to, you know, especially when you're getting, getting started of go or really kind of figure out who you actually want to go after, right? To gain that clarity. So what were some things that did you just take your past experiences at sound like, and be like, I don't want to do this, this, this, and kind of process of elimination, to figure out the north star? Vasa: [00:09:40] Well, yeah, so I working with, with a low carb company and… My last role at that company was senior influencer marketing manager. So I had a lot of relationships that influenced the world, brands that were reaching out or, you know. Once I left, um, you know, there was another, vegan low-carb protein bar that reached out. Consulted for them for a little bit, a low-carb vegan chip reached out. So having the experience with the product, but also the influencers I would reach out to. Couple that with being a one-man show then. And also having just a really focused laser precision on I'll help run, you know, like social and I'll run an influencer, I'll put the content calendar together, um, and we'll grow your social. Those are the really like the box that I put myself in as a consultant. As we've grown and as I've grown, I'm working more as like the outsourced CMO, whereas my team serves as the department. So, um, how I worked with those brands is just... Again, I, I picked and choose. There was, I think my first two brands were those, no carb, but they were called Dee's naturals back then, K Shake, which is a keto shake. And they were all very second nature to me because I was just working on all of those products at the time I was there. Jason: [00:10:47] Very cool. And when you started, you know, obviously when you were, when you started, it was just you, so how'd, you decide who to hire as you were growing? Vasa: [00:10:59] Yeah. So I worked with a couple of freelancers at the time I brought on one of my other closest friends. He was freelancing and just helped me out with influencer, what we call influencer partnerships. Organizing the influencer calendar. His name's Simon. But the first, first hire hire was my friend, Danny, who I brought on his VP of growth. And he helped Halo Top really hit that next level as a unicorn. And that was a really intentional choice because I needed another me in the field. He was previously an engineer before he got into marketing. So he has that engineer mind where he can really set the structure of things. And that was important to me because it was very complimentary. But we also had similar skill because we literally sat next to each other at quest. So that was the first hire. Once that happened, you know, the next thing I brought on was a creative director. Maybe it was a bit early, but we quickly started hiring in 2018. We brought on a, a retail marketing manager in 2019, which is different for an agency, you don't typically see those. But when we start working in our innovations, um, tactics, you know, manufacturing, coupons, digital coupons, those sorts of things that all helps. So bringing on that one, anchor that could support me was the priority. Jason: [00:12:06] Yeah. I always tell, uh, all the people I'm coaching of like, hey, well, you got to kind of hire based on the things that you're currently doing now that you don't want to do anymore, rather than hire though things that you have no clue about. I'm like, no, no, no, you'll do that later on. But in the very beginning, you need to replace yourself. Not your exact twin, but you need to replace kind of those smaller things that you're doing, that we all have to do when we're first starting out. Vasa: [00:12:37] Yeah, a good place for me to be eventually that I'm working towards is really focusing on the finances personnel, some, some higher-level strategy for similar brands, but fully cognizant. Eventually, I shouldn't be the, the reason that the business kind of runs and stays afloat, you know? Jason: [00:12:53] Yeah. Yeah. Well, I mean, I always tell people, you know, as you're building the business, you're in it. And then, uh, and you're going like the what and the how, and I'm like, no, no, no, no. All you have to do is be like, this is where we're going. And this is the who who's actually going to go do this. Who do I need to hire? And then that kind of transitions to, you know, working on the business, which then you have that freedom to do what you want. Because I can promise you this, um, we're not all about hustle, hustle, hustle, hustle, hustle, hustle. It's like, hustle, have fun hustle, have fun, right? So, uh, and a little bit more in between. So is there anything I didn't ask you that you think would benefit audience? Vasa: [00:13:36] Not that I can think of. Jason: [00:13:38] Perfect. Well, what's a website people can go and check you out? Vasa: [00:13:41] That's growthbuster.com, www.growthbuster.com. There's no S at the end. Dan Akroyd and all those guys, aren't part of the team. Um, so that's Growth Buster, singular one word, .com. Jason: [00:13:56] Well, I was going to be like, hey, we need to create a really good theme song, you know. Because while I was in the agency I wanted to create an app that eventually turned into an iPhone app called Goldberg. The first name was called Chubby Busters. And we used to, we had a theme song that I would sing. We'd be like, when you're feeling fat and your pants don't fit. Who are you going to call? Chubby Busters. But then we were like, no, one's ever going to say we're going to be with Chubby Busters. Vasa: [00:14:22] Yeah. That sounds like, that sounds like an agency I would own right now, too. Jason: [00:14:27] Awesome. Well, go check out the website and, uh, if you guys liked this episode, so, and you want to hear more of it and make sure you actually subscribe so you don't ever miss out on a new episode that we're pumping out all the time for you guys. So you guys can scale faster. And also, make sure you guys leave us comments or review the podcast that will help us reach more people. And if you guys want to be surrounded by amazing agency owners on a consistent basis where we're constantly talking about what's the strategies working. So you can scale your agency faster and not work all the time and have that freedom that you really want. Make sure you guys go to digitalagencyelite.com. That is our exclusive mastermind go there now. And until next time have a Swenk day.

Chad interviews long-time friend, Vasa Martinez, on the growth of his new business, finding your flow, quitting versus pivoting, and the difference between sacrifice and discomfort.