#0099 - New Studio Announced! - Diego & Nick

Today’s guests are Diego and Nick! We’re in the process of opening up our brand new podcast studio, and so today we decided to break it in by recording our first episode in it.

We’ll be back next week with our normal content, but this week we decided to reminisce on how far we’ve come and where we plan on taking the podcast. We also offer up a lot of insights and tips we’ve learned along the way, from our routine when we sit down with guests to our thoughts on how we should celebrate our upcoming 100th episode. This is just the start of the next chapter in the Startup to Storefront story, and we’re thrilled that we can share it with you all.

#0098 - Sky Ting - Krissy Jones & Chloe Kernaghan

Today’s guests are Krissy Jones and Chloe Kernaghan, co-founders of Sky Ting Yoga. Krissy and Chloe began with a single brick-and-mortar studio in New York City, but their following quickly outgrew their studio’s capacity. So naturally, they expanded into more locations. But just as it’s difficult to keep expanding into new studios, it’s also tough to find great teachers to staff them. To be fair, this is a great problem to have. The only real solution was to leverage their instruction style and name into an online platform. And in a moment of unpredictably brilliant timing, they launched this platform a few months before COVID hit and everything switched to an online platform.

Listen in as we cover everything from how taking a hit in video quality during the pandemic actually taught them how to create more engaging videos, how they plan to compete with industry titans like Peloton, and how switching from an analog studio to a digital space wasn’t exactly as straightforward as they’d hoped.

#0097 - Ellenos - Alex Apostolopoulos

Today’s guest is Alex Apostolopoulos, founder of the greek yogurt company Ellenos. Ellenos has gained quite the following in Seattle, drawing crowds through word-of-mouth advertising to their stand at the iconic Pike Place Market. But they wouldn’t have even gotten to Seattle if it weren’t for Yvonne Klein, a flight attendant who loved the yogurt so much that she would bring back cases of it whenever she flew to Australia. Eventually, she and her husband reached out to Alex and his father about bringing their product to the US. The four became business partners and set out to win consumers over one taste at a time.

Listen in as we cover everything from the challenges of finding a dairy farmer in the US who would work with them if we’ll see yogurt breweries pop up in the next few years, and why some of the simplest flavors are the most challenging to make.

#0096 - Bro Dough - Erica Rankin

Today we talk with Erica Rankin, founder of the edible cookie dough company Bro Dough. It’s a guilty pleasure we’ve all indulged in at least once or twice. The problem has always been that those raw eggs that make it dangerous for consumption prior to being baked to golden perfection. Bro Dough isn’t your grandparent’s cookie dough though. It’s vegan, safe for consumption, and packs an extra dose of protein. In fact, though you can indeed bake it, this is a cookie dough that is meant to be eaten raw.

Listen in as we cover everything from the benefits of being open and honest on LinkedIn, why she often takes the path of most resistance, and how her dad wasn’t quite convinced there was a market for cookie dough until he saw the sales come rolling in.

#0095 - The Comfy - Brian and Michael Speciale

Today’s guests are the Comfy brothers, Brian and Michael Speciale. As you may have guessed from their nickname, they co-founded The Comfy, and they are indeed brothers. The two of them took their idea for a wearable blanket and straight-up sprinted with it. They knew that they were sitting on such a hot ticket item that before they did just about anything else with their company, they were appearing on Shark Tank. They left the tank with a deal in hand and set to work on actually manufacturing the product. It took some time to get their supply chain and distribution figured out, but once they did, the brothers turned The Comfy into one of the most successful companies to ever come out of Shark Tank. What follows is a captivating and energetic conversation about the grit and determination that led them to where they are today.

Listen in as we cover everything from why getting their product into retail stores was the best decision they ever made, how Brian spent the early days of his company flipping people from angry customers to supporters of the brand, and why it’s imperative to own up to both the mistakes and successes of your business.

#0094 - Partake Foods - Denise Woodard

Today’s guest is Denise Woodard, founder of Partake Foods. When her daughter was diagnosed with severe food allergies, Denise struggled with finding snacks she could safely feed her. So she set out to create some herself. But it wasn’t exactly smooth sailing. Her initial attempts were met with responses of “this is awful” from her daughter. And this is where it’s important to note that Denise was able to bypass so many hurdles that plague entrepreneurs as they grow. Denise recognized her own limitations and instead of laboring for a lengthy amount of time perfecting a recipe, she hired a food scientist. By delegating this task she freed herself up to focus on getting Partake off the ground and running. Partake is now a nationwide brand with venture capital funding from big names like Rihanna and Jay-Z.

Listen in as we cover everything from how tough it was to get allergic customers to build up enough trust in the brand before they’d even try it, why frozen is the new fresh, and why at times she feels like she’s flying the plane as she’s building it.

#0093 - Solento Tequila - Taylor Steele

Today’s guest is Taylor Steele, founder of the tequila company: Solento. If you’ve been listening to the show for a while, you might have picked up on a common theme: career paths are almost never linear. Taylor’s career path is even more proof of this, as he has gone from indie surfing-filmmaker to creative director of Corona beer in Australia to the head of a premier tequila company. For some, it’s enough to find their passion and make money at it. For others, passions can change over time, and you need to look no further than Taylor’s story to see that if you don’t like the wave you’re currently riding, hop-off and catch another one. With Solento, Taylor is able to bring all of his collective experience and creative energy and pour it into his company. And if the past is any indication of the future, we’ll be seeing a lot more from Taylor in years to come.

Listen in as we cover everything from how he distributed his first film by selling one copy at a time to local surf shops, why he felt like a life coach to some of the world-class surfers he was filming, and if he sees Solento as becoming the tequila of choice for extreme sports. 

#0092 - Project Sunscreen - Rachel Henderson

Today we talk with Rachel Henderson, founder of Project Sunscreen. The goal behind Project Sunscreen is simple: get more people to wear sunscreen. It’s not that putting on sunscreen is an inherently strenuous activity that keeps people up at night with anxiety. But there are friction points. Rachel broke these points down and addressed them by designing a product with a roll-on application and without any harmful or irritating chemicals. Our conversation today covers how to prepare yourself for a lot of “no’s” while fundraising, advice on how to get your product into big box stores, and the difficulties of growing while cash-strapped.

Want to support Project Sunscreen and Rachel’s mission? Head over and get their product — use “Podcast” at checkout for 15% OFF.

#0091 - CVT Soft Serve - Joe Nicchi

Today’s guest is Joe Nicchi, founder of CVT Soft Serve. Like a lot of east-coasters who move out West, Joe found himself in Los Angeles searching for comfort food to remind him of where he came from. The problem was that Joe’s comfort food was soft-serve ice cream, and LA really didn’t offer that particular food group. Sure, there were ice cream parlors and frozen yogurt shops, but none of those really hit the spot for Joe. So he did what any self-enterprising person would do: he created his own soft-serve company. Well, first he had to find an old Mr. Softee ice cream truck, fix it up, ship it to LA, get all the permits, yadda yadda yadda… But we’ll cover all that later in the episode. Joe’s story is a perfect example of how a great product paired with an electric personality can catapult a company to uncharted heights.

Listen in as we cover everything from why the customer is NOT always right, the trials and errors of finding the best spots to park your ice cream truck, and why there should be ice cream served in every gym.

#0090 - Neyborly - Ben Seidl

Today’s guest is Ben Seidl, founder of Neyborly. In much the same way as WeWork or AirBnB reimagined how we work and vacation, Neyborly is reimagining how we interact within our community. Odds are high that there are a couple of vacant commercial real estate properties in your town. Some might see vacant properties as nothing more than urban blight, but Ben sees opportunity. Instead of sitting empty while waiting for the next long-term tenant, Neyborly partners with the landlords to rent these spaces out for everything from one-time meetings, limited-time restaurant pop-ups, to multi-year leases for retail stores.

Listen in as we cover everything from how he shifted his mentality to succeed in a hopefully-soon-to-be post-covid world, the magic of turning vacant buildings into community hubs, and his bullish views on A.I. and how it will bring new significance to the humble parking lot.

#0089 - Mandala Tequila - Craig and Humberto

Today’s guests are Humberto Ibarra and Craig Cartozian, co-founders of Mandala Tequila. If it feels like tequila is in a golden age right now, you’re not imagining things. Between the plethora of tequila varieties, celebrity-owned companies, and competition from its cousin mezcal, walking down the tequila aisle of a liquor store is sure to present you with any number of options. So if you’re a tequila company, how do you stand out? First, you need a good product. That should go without saying. Then, you need an eye-catching vessel. If you’re at a store that sells Mandala, it’s unlikely that you’ll miss them. They’ve got the most ornate ceramic bottles you’ve ever seen, decorated by hand and featuring designs that celebrate Mexican folklore and culture. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that what’s inside the bottle is also just as memorable. Mandala’s journey hasn’t all been sun-kissed though, as they very nearly failed to find a foothold in the crowded tequila market.

Listen in as we cover everything from how they created their own niche by going against conventional wisdom in releasing their extra añejo first, the initial challenges of convincing restaurants to stock their product, and why there’s no shortcut to success in the tequila market…unless you happen to be The Rock.

#0088 - Aymara Peruvian (Ghost) Kitchen - Launch Pad Series

Today we talk with Ralph and Caroline Walde, co-founders and the husband and wife chef duo behind Aymara Peruvian Kitchen. The restaurant industry is constantly evolving, and trends can seemingly pop-up and disappear overnight. But one industry trend that is looking like it has some staying power is the ghost kitchen. Brick and mortar restaurants begat more cost-efficient food trucks, which have in turn led to even more cost-efficient ghost kitchens.

Listen in as we cover how the coronavirus pandemic steered Ralph and Caroline into opening Aymara, the economics of taking orders through delivery apps, and how to progress from a cook to a chef.

#0087 - Sunwink - Eliza Ganesh

Today’s guest is Eliza Ganesh, founder of Sunwink. As is often the case in the health and wellness space, the founding of Sunwink came about as a result of a personal issue. Eliza was diagnosed with an auto-immune disease and sought a better way to fight the disease and lead a healthier life. She had to experiment a bit and incorporate feedback from her early customers, but she persevered and eventually found a recipe that succeeded. So then, armed with little more than some bottles of Sunwink and her Honda Fit, she made her mark in the Bay Area before growing Sunwink into a nationwide brand.

Listen in as we cover everything from working in San Francisco through the pandemic and if she intends to keep the Sunwink HQ there long term, the value of knowing your worth as a female entrepreneur, and how learning new TikTok dances fits into her own corporate wellness plan.

Special Offer: Use promo code STARTUP15 for 15% off sunwink.com

#0086 - Boy Smells - Matthew Herman

Today’s guest is Matthew Herman, co-founder of Boy Smells. What started off as a hobby turned into a side-hustle turned into a thriving business that even caught the attention of country music superstar Kacey Musgraves. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. It began as a candle-making experiment in Matthew’s kitchen, trying to buck the gender norms of how candles have been traditionally made and marketed. Matthew and his co-founder David combined both masculine and feminine scents into products like Cinderose, Polyamberous, and Rhubarb Smoke. They then took that philosophy and applied it to underwear. Creating a line with the option of either a pouch front or flat front and leaving it up to the consumer to choose the best fit for them. 

Listen in as we cover everything from how their sense of humor inspired the company name, how Boy Smells is truly an extension of Matthew’s personality, and we find out who made the first move in the collaboration between Boy Smells and Kacey Musgraves.