#0134 - Keithan and Quiante - Candi (as seen on Shark Tank)

Today’s guests are Keithan and Quiante Hedrick, the husband and wife duo behind Candi. Candi is a platform that allows you to video chat with celebrities in real-time and was born out of the ashes of their first joint venture, Instaspeakers. The failure of Instaspeakers, while difficult, showed them what to focus their money and energy towards with Candi. And the success of apps like Cameo showed that there was a very real market for personal connections with celebrities. We filmed this episode three days prior to Candi’s debut on Shark Tank, so while they weren’t able to discuss the specifics, we made sure to cover their preparation for the inevitable Shark Tank bump.

Listen in as we cover everything from the importance of surveying the market before starting a business, why celebs tend to overprice themselves, and why Kevin Hart probably wouldn’t be the best fit for a service like Candi.

#0133 - Kevin Mendoza - Crypto Collective

Welcome back as we begin Season 4 of the show! Today’s guest is Kevin Mendoza, founder of Crypto Collective and today we are—in fact—talking about all things crypto. By now you’ve likely heard everyone from your friends to that drunk guy in the bar talk about cryptocurrency and NFTs. Maybe you know a little, maybe you’re somewhat of an expert. Maybe you’re even a little bit skeptical. The point is that this digital infrastructure is having a very real impact on the world around us and we would all do well to learn more. Luckily enough for you, this is a great episode for expanding upon whatever foundational knowledge you already have. We cover everything from centralized to decentralized finance and riff ideas of how to join in and capitalize on a booming NFT marketplace. Because no matter if you’re looking to join the Bored Ape Yacht Club or have no idea what that is, this is the place to be.

#0132 - Jill Bauman - Imagine LA

Today’s guest is Jill Bauman, head of Imagine LA, a nonprofit focused on breaking the cycle of family homelessness and poverty. Her organization is certainly not the first to attempt to tackle these problems, and she’s realistic about the need for other organizations to do their part as well. But Imagine LA is having a real impact on the lives of over 200 families in the greater Los Angeles area, helping what are often families led by a single parent get back on their feet when it comes to financial and emotional stability.

Listen in as we cover everything from why domestic violence is a huge driver of family homelessness, how she plans to scale Imagine LA to different parts of the state, and her plans to build livable mixed communities with houses and retail shops to alleviate the housing crisis we’re currently experiencing.

#0131 - Carmen Dianne & Kara Still - Prosperity Market

Today’s guests are Carmen Dianne and Kara Still, founders of Prosperity Market. Last year, as the world was dealing with the coronavirus pandemic and the racial reckoning spurred on by the murder of George Floyd, Carmen felt inspired to do something about it. She partnered up with Kara and the two of them set out to create a market that would feature black farmers and businesses, also while providing low-income areas of LA with access to fresh produce and healthy food. The idea was solid, but there were bumps in the road that were unforeseen, such as difficulty in finding black farmers. The progress may not be as fast as Carmen would like, but little by little they are making their presence known all over Los Angeles County and making a big impact in the communities they visit.

Listen in as we cover everything from why they legally can’t call themselves a farmer’s market, how they’ve been able to grow largely through direct donations on their website, and why they’re currently building two businesses; the one they’re in now and the one they’ll be in five years from now.

#0130 - Brad & Zach Gilbert - Tennis Legend/Author

Today’s guests are the father and son duo Brad and Zach Gilbert. To say that tennis is a Gilbert family hobby would be like saying that the Kennedy family dabbles in politics. Brad was a former professional tennis player who was ranked as high as number 4 in the world and won a bronze medal at the '88 Olympics to boot. After his playing career was over he went into coaching, molding the next generation of elite players such as Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, and Andy Murray. Zach grew up courtside at televised tournaments, so it’s no surprise that he also took to tennis, eventually becoming an NCAA Division 1 tennis player for Cal-Berkeley. Our conversation today is centered on all things tennis but the lessons here are universal.

Listen in as we cover everything from how to manage expectations and outside pressure, why Brad had such a difficult time coaching Zach, and the importance of being honest about your weaknesses.

#0129 - Leah O'Malley & Tori Robinson - Boys Lie

Today’s guests are Leah O’Malley and Tori Robinson, lifelong friends and co-founders of the clothing brand Boys Lie. It’s probably safe to assume that a fair share of us have experienced heartbreak, and in Leah and Tori’s case, they turned their heartbreak into a mantra. That mantra would become the eventual inspiration to launch something bigger than the two of them; to connect with a world of women who had also gone through a bad breakup. They decided on a makeup line. The problem was that the makeup line didn’t connect as they had intended. But the two women were far from finished, and they pivoted to manufacturing streetwear. And with this new venture, they finally found their audience and connected in a BIG way.

Listen in as we cover everything from how they’ve had their own trouble with paparazzi, why they’ll anonymously answer support emails from time to time, and why you should never go into business with your best friend.

#0128 - James Beshara - Magic Mind/Tilt (acquired by AirBnB)

Today’s guest is James Beshara, founder of Magic Mind, a productivity drink designed to replace your morning cup of coffee for good. James’ story is about so much more than Magic Mind though, as he’s started a few other companies and invested in a few others as well. One of the companies he started was bought by AirBnB, which on the surface seems like a major win! Until you learn that he had to sell it in a fire sale. James is very open about both his successes and his failures, and it’s this kind of honesty that led him to start his own podcast where he dives into all of the challenges facing business leaders all over the world. This episode is a truly fascinating conversation in which we take a high-level look at what it really means to be an entrepreneur in today’s world.

Listen in as we cover everything from the difference between the fear of missing out and the fear of being involved, why he’s long on AirBnB, and why spiritually, everyone should be a freelancer.

#0127 - Kerrigan Behrens - Sagely Naturals

Today’s guest is Kerrigan Behrens, founder of the CBD skincare brand Sagely Naturals. Kerrigan and her cofounder Kaley had used CBD products and experienced firsthand relief from the immense anti-inflammatory benefits that it offers. They wanted to bring this to the wider consumer market but even though there’s no THC in their products, the US government doesn’t distinguish between the two. And when it comes to US consumers, they’re also largely still learning to distinguish between CBD and THC products as well. Kerrigan and Kaley knew the challenges and still dove headfirst into their new company. In many ways, they’re still educating the market and working within the narrow confines of the law, but in the six years since they started Sagely Naturals, they’ve already shown how effective CBD is in soothing pain and have grabbed a sizable share of a rapidly growing market.

Listen in as we cover everything from overcoming the stigma around hemp-derived products, why banks are the biggest obstacle currently facing the CBD market, and what led her to sell the company she had built from the ground up.

#0126 - David Greenfeld - Dream Pops

Today’s guest is David Greenfeld, founder of the plant-based popsicle company Dream Pops. David is a student of successful entrepreneurs and takes a very academic approach to grow as an individual as well as a business owner. For instance, when he was starting out his professional journey, he figured it would be a good idea to have a grasp of finance, so he went into investment banking. And concurrently with banking, he was on the lookout for markets with untapped potential. He eventually found one in popsicles, but to say the rest is history would be to ignore the persistence and clever series of pivots that led him to create a national brand.

Listen in as we cover everything from why there are no overnight success stories in business, why Dream Pops will not be the brand that relies heavily on celebrity partnerships, and why entrepreneurship is a sport.

#0125 - Jimmy DeCicco - Super Coffee

Today’s guest is Jim DeCicco, co-founder of Super Coffee. By now you’re probably familiar with the rise of adaptogen-infused wellness products, but six years ago this emerging market was still in its infancy. Jim and his brothers Jake and Jordan saw the potential early on and dove head-first into this opportunity, with Jordan dropping out of school and Jim quitting his job on Wall Street. Their first wholesale was a whopping two hundred dollars, but they knew it was only the beginning. The path that they’ve taken since then has enabled their company’s evaluation to explode from three million dollars to about 500 million today. Which makes the ten million dollar evaluation they asked for on Shark Tank a few years ago seem like an absolute steal.

Listen in as we cover everything from how they initially priced their coffee using the ‘Field of Dreams’ model, life lessons that they took from athletics that they were able to apply to their business, and why their first round of fundraising was from ‘friends, family, and fools’.

#0124 -Drew & Amanda - Yasso

Today’s guests are Drew Harrington and Amanda Klane, co-founders of the frozen greek yogurt brand Yasso. Drew and Amanda have been friends for a long time; since kindergarten, to be exact. They were also both Division 1 athletes in track and soccer, respectively. Nutrition is a very important component of athletic success, but let’s not pretend that athletes are immune to cravings. Drew and Amanda would try and mitigate these cravings by searching for items in the ‘better-for-you’ categories, but when it came to ice cream the choices were seriously lacking. So what’s better than creating a great-tasting ice cream alternative? Creating it with a lifelong friend. And if that ice cream alternative should someday surpass Klondike bars in terms of units sold? Well, that’s the sweetest reward of them all.

Listen in as we cover everything from their initial strategy to give away thousands of free bars in order to cultivate a grass-roots following, how they persuaded their friends with a beer in exchange for product testing, and why when creating a new product, they have to keep it 100. 100 calories or less, that is.

#0123 - Taylor Frankel- Nudestix

Today’s guest is Taylor Frankel, co-founder of the beauty brand Nudestix. Together with her mom and her younger sister, the three women sought to create a company that would cater to the subtle looks and on-the-go application that today’s consumer demands. Though Taylor is still in her twenties, she has been in the game for quite some time now, and speaks with the wisdom and maturity of someone far beyond her years. Taylor’s mom, Jenny, has worked in the cosmetics industry for over 20 years, and would always enlist her daughters’ help in packing boxes or filling orders. In some ways they were running a family business long before they founded Nudestix, so it only makes sense that they would make it official and put their combined talents to work.

Listen in as we cover everything from the challenges of being taken seriously as a young head of company, why trust and communication are two of the most crucial traits to have as a leader, and how to adjust marketing strategies alongside the ever-changing social media landscape.

#0122 - Wendy Day - Rap Coalition via BrightLive

Our episode today is a special one, a session we recently did on BrightLive.com. Sessions there are designed to help you level up your life by allowing you exclusive access to speakers, visionaries, and titans in their field. We’ve hosted a couple of sessions so far on the platform, and we love it because it offers listeners the chance to directly ask questions and learn firsthand from the experts. For this session, we had the pleasure of chatting with Wendy Day, founder of Rap Coalition, and perhaps one of the most influential people in the rap industry over the past 30 years. She’s made it her mission to educate up-and-coming artists on how to take hold of their careers and their money, mentoring them and ensuring that their business savvy is just as robust as their artistry.

Listen in as we cover everything from how she helped build the careers of the likes of Master P and Eminem, why just being a talented artist isn’t enough to succeed in the music industry, and why she has no plans to launch her own rap career.

#0121 - The Dial In - Farm Cup Coffee ft. Miffies Coffee

Welcome to another episode of The Dial In, a new addition to the Startup to Storefront podcast group. We've partnered with Chobani to bring you this new podcast in which your hosts Emerson Haro and Brian Barnes take a deep dive into all things coffee. Today's guests are Ross and Didi Lower, husband and wife duo behind Miffies Coffee. As one of the only coffee trucks in Orange County, they became, by default, the ultimate outdoor coffee experience during the time when outdoor service was the only service that was possible.

Today's conversation will cover how they're working to create the most sustainable and eco-friendly truck on the market by harnessing solar power and only using plant-based milk as well as what it was like to start a business in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. If your local coffee shop feels like a second home to you, this podcast will surely feel like a third. So grab a cup of your favorite brew and get ready to Dial In.