#0183 - Max Berg - ELIQS/Barrel Labs

In business school, it’s common for college professors to assign semester-long projects where students have to start a business. And to be honest, most students never take this project beyond the final grade. However, Max Berg and his classmate Dave Goldman took this assignment and ran with it. In a world where you can literally customize everything, they couldn’t help but ask, “why can’t you create customized beer cans”? After all, that’s what everyone’s drinking in college. After creating custom cans for their families’ Thanksgiving dinner, their families, especially the grandparents, just couldn’t get enough. Heck, one grandparent was even stashing them away to hold onto the memory. That’s when they realized the concept of custom can labels had staying power beyond the classroom. Today we are talking with Max, co-founder of ELIQS, a company that creates customizable beverages made for the moment. We discuss:

• Why custom drinks pair so well with weddings

• How they started by soaking Trader Joe’s beer bottles in bathtubs

• And their partnerships with everyone from individuals to businesses including Mischief

#0182 - The Science of Stuck (book) - Britt Frank

In today’s episode, we are unpacking the science of how to get unstuck. It’s no coincidence that that’s also the title of the book written by our guest today: author, psychotherapist, and trauma specialist, Britt Frank. Britt knows a thing or two about getting unstuck, as she has battled everything from meth addiction to sexual abuse. She emerged from that trauma with a new outlook on life, a Master of Social Work degree, and a desire to help others overcome their own hurdles. These hurdles vary from individual to individual, but when it comes to entrepreneurship, it’s not uncommon for someone to put up a mental blockade that prevents them from moving forward. Getting over this mental blockade that inhibits you from progressing forward is what we are dissecting today. In today’s episode we discuss:

• why you don’t need every friend to be a best friend

• How Covid didn’t create a mental health crisis, it just exposed the one we already had

• The power behind changing your why’s to whats.

So roll up your sleeves and let’s start the process of getting unstuck. Order your copy today!

#0181 - Night Cap - Shirah Benarde (as seen on Shark Tank)

1 in 3 women has either had their drink spiked or knows someone who has according to a 2021 YouGov survey. It’s a serious problem that disproportionately harms college students. That is until Shirah Benarde invented NightCap. Covering the top of the glass makes it a lot harder for someone to spike your drink. Since its launch, the company has taken the world by storm. NightCap has 422k followers on TikTok, and while on Shark Tank they landed a deal with Lori Greiner in record time. In this episode, we speak with Shirah Benarde, the co-founder of NightCap.

We discuss:

• Going viral on TikTok

• Their Shark Tank Experience

• What it was like going to the Shark Tank reunion in Vegas

#0180 - Haven's Kitchen - Alison Cayne

Business is like basketball. It’s all about the pivot. And Alison Cayne, founder of Haven’s Kitchen, is no stranger to the game. Haven’s Kitchen was founded on the mission of empowering home cooks. The first iteration began with cooking cours.es. Then, it grew into a café and events held in their New York City kitchen. But over and over, she kept getting the same feedback. Everyone loved the sauces, but no one had the time to make them. And from there, ready-made sauces were born. In this episode we spoke with Alison Cayne, founder of Haven’s Kitchen, about:

• Her experience going through the Chobani incubator program

• The problems with the How I Built This podcast

• Shy she wants to be the fairy godmother of CPG

We hope you’re ready. This podcast episode is filled with some crazy flavor and spice.

#0179 - Gentefy - Barney Santos

Change is constant. It’s inevitable. But it doesn’t always have to be bad.

Gentefiers aren’t strangers to the neighborhood. They are from the community, and they are trying to build up the community that is near and dear to their hearts.

From gentefication, we get Gentefy (hen-teh-fi), a development company founded by Barney Santos.

The goal is to act as a catalyst to stimulate economic growth through entrepreneurial activities.

Their first project is BLVD MRKT, a carefully curated food hall in beautiful Downtown Montebello. It’s committed to serving up good food, good drinks, and good vibes.

In this episode, we talk with Barney Santos about:

• The difference between gentrification and gentefication

• Keeping money local

• And being greater than the sum of the stereotypes as a community

This marks our final episode celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, so let’s go out with a bang.

#0178 - SUYO Pisco - Alex Hildebrandt

Pisco is the best kind of brandy that I bet you’ve never heard of. It all starts in the vineyards in Peru. The grapes are picked, pressed, and fermented to create this delicious spirit. Peruvian Pisco is so pure that not even one drop of water will ever touch the inside of the bottle. This liquor is never cut with sulfates or additives, and let me tell ya, you can definitely taste the quality. In this episode, we talk with Alex Hildebrandt, co-founder of SUYO Pisco about:

• Using the playbook that Tequila and Mezcal brands created

• The feud between Peru and Chile over Pisco

Get ready, you are about to discover the world of Single Origin Pisco.

#0177 - Avenida Productions - Fanny & Nelson Grande

Hollywood does not treat all filmmakers equally. Despite being a critically acclaimed director, Fanny Grande found it extremely difficult to find funding for her movies. The major studios saw Latino movies as a niche market with very little broad appeal. That’s why Fanny and her husband, Nelson Grande, founded Avenida Productions, a movie studio in the heart of LA. They are providing equal opportunity to filmmakers to fund, film, and distribute their next big hit. In this episode, we spoke with both Nelson and Fanny Grande about:

• Why crowdfunding campaigns fail

• Why Fanny is the top crowdfunding coach for creatives across the country

• Why they created their own streaming service

Grab your popcorn, and please take a seat. The movie will be starting soon.

#0176 - Tia Lupita - Hector Saldivar

There is nothing better than a home-cooked meal. As the pan simmers, the tantalizing aromas fill the air, and everyone’s taste buds begin to salivate in excitement. For Hector Saldivar, the founder of Tia Lupita, sharing his family’s hot sauce is akin to welcoming you into his kitchen for a home-cooked meal. In Latin American culture, and others, family recipes are passed down from generation to generation. Hector, with his mother’s blessing, has taken her hot sauce and bottled it for everyone to enjoy. Some recipes are just too good not to share with the world. Tia Lupita sells cactus chips, grain-free tortillas, and the best hot sauce on the market. Listen in as we discuss:

• How Hector convinced his mom to let him commercialize their secret family hot sauce recipe

• Why the large Hispanic brands are out of touch with today’s consumer

• And Border Patrol agents questioning the increasingly large amounts of home-cooked hot sauce being brought over the Mexico/American border

And thank you to Cat Footwear for sponsoring this episode. They are a premier shoe company that empowers builders and doers, to reframe the world to create something more meaningful.

#0175 - Justina Machado

According to the 2020 UCLA “Hollywood Diversity Report”, Latinos made up 18% of the population, yet received only 4.6% of movie roles in 2019. To put it simply, even though Latinos make up almost a fifth of the population, there’s a massive gap in representation on the silver screen. There is, however, a growing movement within the industry to change that. Today we have the pleasure of talking to a leader of this movement, actress Justina Machado. You might recognize her from her roles in Jane the Virgin, Six Feet Under, or even Dancing with the Stars. In this episode, we discuss:

• why she didn’t call herself an actress until she moved to LA

• Why she didn’t feel financially stable until she was 40

• The outrage the Latino community felt when James Franco was cast as Fidel Castro

Quiet on set, we are rolling in 3, 2, 1 …

#0174 - Swing Vision 🎾 Swupnil Sahai

Swing Vision started as an app that leveraged the Apple Watch to help tennis players improve their game. Players could now track swing movements, hits, and scores. But after working at Tesla, Swupnil Sahai, the co-founder of Swing Vision, realized there was a lot more they could do with this simple idea. By mounting an iPhone on a court, and through motion tracking within the app, that can now offer:

• Automated scoring

• Line calling

• Recorded match highlights

• And so much more.

In this episode we talked about the impact of having Swing Vision featured on the Apple Keynote, coaching players with AI, and last, between you and me, we also talked about Diego paying a little extra to have the speed of his serves register faster than they actually are.

#0173 - Sundays - Barbora & Noah

Imagine this. It’s a beautiful Sunday morning. There’s a warm breeze, the birds are chirping in tune, and you feel effortlessly relaxed.

Sundays work to capture that feeling of bliss.

And no, I’m not talking about the day the of the week, I am referring to Sundays furniture.

Sundays is a curated type collection with outstanding quality and beautiful design.

In this episode of the podcast, we talk with Noah, and Barbora, two of the co-founders of Sundays. We discuss:

• What it’s like sourcing materials from all over the world

• If sales are higher on Sundays

• & The steps they took to ultimately recover the hacked Sundays Instagram account

So, kick back and relax for this week’s episode.

#0172 - Waldo - Ashleigh Hinde

The eyes are the second most complex organ in the body, beaten only by the brain. Thus, it’s no surprise that eye care - specifically daily contact lenses - are expensive. In this, Waldo recognized an opportunity to disrupt the eye care industry. Waldo helps consumers “refocus” by:

1. Saving them money by removing the added distribution costs and

2. Adding B-12 to reduce dryness by up to 30%

In short, this means consumers get great contacts, without paying over-the-top prices. Listen in as we talk with Ashleigh Hinde, the founder of Waldo, about:

• How a little white lie led her to start Waldo

• Why it’s important to talk with your customers like you’re sitting around a dinner table

• How they Partnered with Walmart to become the first exclusive retailer to offer Waldo

And before you ask us where’s Waldo, I think it’s better if we just roll the episode.

#0171 - Sweet Loren's - Loren Brill

The best part about making cookies is eating the raw dough off the mixers. High risk, high reward. This can make you seriously ill. Between the flour and eggs, salmonella is a real threat. Sweet Loren’s, the #1 natural cookie dough company in the United States, has created the solution we all needed. They make gluten-free, dairy-free, plant-based, and nut-free cookie dough. It comes in pre-cut portions, bakes in minutes, and can even be eaten raw. Sweet Lorens is transforming what it means to be convenient and delicious. In this episode, we talk with Sweet Loren herself, Loren Brill.

Listen in as we cover how a cancer diagnosis shifted her priorities at a time when most of her peers were living a carefree life, how she got into the major grocery retailers, and how staying scrappy in the early days hindered the company’s growth. Pull up a chair, and take a seat at our table because everyone’s welcome to this cookie party of an episode.

#0170 - Stowed Home - Elissia Sigalow

Stowed was founded on a vision. A vision for a more beautiful living space filled with modern, sophisticated, and luxurious furniture that stands the test of time. Founded in 2017, Stowed harnessed the power of Instagram to build a loyal following. Through a beautifully curated aesthetic on their social media pages, it becomes easy for a customer to see how Stowed’s collection can transform their home. However, in an effort to compete with TikTok, Instagram recently rewrote its entire algorithm. Instead of favoring a meticulously crafted grid like Stowed’s, the algorithm now prioritizes Reels. Short form videos have completely flipped the platform on its head, and many companies, like Stowed, are not happy about it. In this episode, we spoke with Elissia Sigalow, the founder of Stowed, and Megan Scofield, the Director of Creative Operations. We discuss the Instagram algorithm changes, what that means for small businesses, and how companies and individuals can finally get their engagement back.