#0197 - Book Thinkers - Nick Hutchinson & Luke Gifford 📚💡

Research suggests that people reach peak brain Books can change your life, yet 23% of Americans say they didn’t read a book last year. Books can provide entertainment, a portal into an imaginary world, or a series of cheat codes for leveling up your life. It is almost entirely because of this last point that our guests today created BookThinkers, a community of readers and authors centered around the positive power of personal development. We even witness firsthand the stickiness of the topic, as in this episode with Nick Hutchinson and Luke Gifford, the conversation begins on the journey of BookThinkers and quickly flows into a discussion of self-development and improvement. In this episode we discuss:

• Why Luke is selling his house so that it doesn’t become his coffin

• The opportunity cost for not leveraging social media

• Nick and Luke’s top takeaways from interviewing some of the world’s most renowned authors including Grant Cardone, Lewis Howes, and Guy Raz

#0196 - Patrick Schwarzenegger - MOSH

Research suggests that people reach peak brain health at around age 22. By 37, memory begins to decline, and it’s estimated that around 22% of people age 71 and older have mild cognitive impairment. But what’s interesting is that people don’t typically begin taking brain supplements until their late 50s. This is exactly the conversation that todays guest, Patrick Schwarzenegger, had with his mom, Maria Shriver when he moved back in with her during the pandemic lockdowns. He noticed that Maria kicked off every morning with various supplements and a protein bar. This got him thinking. Why not combine the supplements with the bar she was already eating? Thus, MOSH was born. MOSH is a tasty, adaptogen-powered brain fuel for all ages. In today’s episode with talk with Patrick about:

• What it’s like launching a nutritional bar, which is notoriously one of the most competitive CPG categories

• Why his dad would tell him and his siblings to sleep faster

• And how being an early investor in Blaze Pizza showed him the signs of what was to come

#0195 - David Kuo - Little Fatty

1 in 3 restaurants won’t survive their first year. Profit margins are razor thin, staff turnover is high, and there’s a lot of competition. As David Kuo, our guest today and self-titled Head Fatty will explain, discovering product-market fit is a painful process of personal sacrifice.  His first restaurant specialized in California-inspired cuisine, and as much as he wanted it to work, it just didn’t get the support he wanted. So he doubled down, put it all on the line, and re-opened the restaurant as Little Fatty, a Taiwanese soul food restaurant: new cuisine, new name, and new processes. The restaurant exploded in popularity.  They are #1 on Uber Eats for the LA area, and if you don’t make a reservation beforehand, good luck getting in. But now, David is taking this concept to the next level by opening Fatty Mart, and Juntos Market. They’re where food, culture, and community intersect to provide convenience without compromise. In this episode, we discuss with David:

• What it was like working for a Michelin Starred restaurant in New York City

• Why he slept above the walk-in fridge at his restaurant

• How he is partnering with local growers to make the best food possible

#0194 - Ape Water - Andrew Bragg 🐵 🦍

About a year ago, NFTs were all anyone could talk about. Mark Cuban, Justin Bieber, and Jimmy Fallon each spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on a particular variety of NFTs called Bored Ape Yacht Club. Seth Green also bought in and began writing a TV show around his Ape, while in Long Beach a fast food restaurant opened called Bored and Hungry using the Bored Ape Yacht Club IP. Since then, the news concerning NFTs has not been great. Seth Green lost his Ape in a phishing scam, and a stock market downturn plunged the budding crypto boom into a crypto winter, sending NFT prices tumbling along the way. While many chalked up the NFT craze as nothing more than a flash in the pan, there were those who still saw the potential in the technology. Our guest today is one such person, who saw the communal aspect of NFT ownership as a feature to be harnessed. Today we talk with Andrew Bagg, the cofounder of Ape Water.
We discuss:

• How they are building a business that isn’t tied to the turbulent NFT markets

• How Ape Water cans are similar to Wheaties Boxes

• How Ape Water uses web3 technology to give its consumers more than just a refreshing beverage

#0193 - "Call Me Anne" 📚 - Heather Duffy (in memory of Anne Heche)

When Anne Heche passed away on August 11, 2022, it shocked the world. After reportedly reaching a top speed of 100 miles per hour, she drove her Mini Cooper into the side of a Los Angeles home. Although emergency responders were able to free her from the wreckage, she passed away in the hospital a couple of days later. Anne Heche left a courageous, complicated past behind.  From standing up for same-sex relationships in the late 90s to an Emmy-winning acting career, she has forever left a mark on modern culture. Today, we are speaking with Anne’s podcast co-host, co-author, and dear friend Heather Duffy.  At the time Anne passed, she and Heather had been working on Anne’s newest book titled, “Call Me Anne.”  They were weeks away from finalizing it when Anne died. Heather was able to finish the book through the notes and outlines that Anne left behind. In today’s episode, we discuss:

• how Anne got escorted out of her own movie premiere for arriving with Ellen DeGeneres as her date

• Getting blacklisted from Hollywood as a result but not letting them have the last word

• how unsubstantiated claims about the fatal crash drowned out the truth in the hours and days that followed

#0192 - Modern Animal 🐾 - Steven Eidelman (a new approach to veterinary care)

The veterinarian industry is changing, but you probably haven't noticed unless you’ve been paying close attention. For years, the vet industry has been defined by small mom-and-pop clinics. However, large investment firms have been buying up practices, yet offering nothing new or innovative. These old practices still keep their patient records on paper, don’t offer 24/7 access, and if you are out of town, it’s nearly impossible to book an emergency appointment. And this is all while, according to Time, suicide rates among veterinarians are incredibly high, and as a matter of fact, women vet suicide rates are 3.5x the national average. Our guest today is changing all of that, from how the clinics are built to waiving exam frees for members, Modern Animal is redefining what it means to practice veterinary medicine from the ground up. In today’s episode, we talk with Steven Eidelman, the founder of Modern Animal. We discuss:

- How Modern Animal is working to avoid vet burnout with this new approach
- Setting up a tattoo parlor at a vet conference
- The nationwide vet shortage, and what that means for the pet industry in the coming years

#0191 - StoryFile - Heather Maio Smith (preserving history through AI)

Welcome to season five. For centuries, mankind has been obsessed with the possibility of immortality. After Walt Disney’s death, reports of his body being frozen in liquid nitrogen spread like wildfire. The thought was that he could be brought back to life by future, more advanced civilizations. These reports turned out to be false, but they didn’t stop people from thinking about the concept of living forever. While immortality is still science-fiction, Storyfile has created the next best thing. By having subjects answer upwards of 1,600 questions, a subject’s memories are preserved and created into an artificial intelligence so that future generations can hold a conversation in real-time with the deceased. From helping teach social skills to kids with autism to leveling up corporate training modules, the applications of this technology extend way beyond just immortality. In today’s episode, we speak with Heather Maio-Smith, the founder of Storyfile. She explains:

• How Storyfile is preserving history by interviewing holocaust survivors

• The applications for interactive adult videos, if you know what I mean

• And The importance of keeping the human element in AI interactions

#0190 - Adam Bent - Scout 🦞🐙🐟

Canned Octopus, mussels, and squid. In Europe, tinned seafood is a delicacy. But here in North America consumers don’t eat as much canned fish. As a matter of fact, most people only know of canned tuna, and that’s it. Scout is a craft seafood company that is bringing this tradition back to the North American table. They can lobster, trout, and mussels and take it from the Startup to Storefront team, it tastes delicious. Today we are talking with Adam Bent, the co-founder of Scout. We discuss:

• Why tuna is the #1 canned fish in the United States

• How kelp became the new kale

• Why ever major seafood brand is being forced to change how they fish

#0189 - Part 3/3 - How to Build a Distinct Brand: Navigating Setbacks (ft. Founders of Lettuce Grow, Sweet Loren's and Alpha A)

In 1996 Apple had lost $867 million, and by 1997 they were on the verge of bankruptcy. According to the New York Times, they cut 1/3 of their workforce and were about 90 days out from running out of money. In a Hail Mary attempt to survive, the board brought back Steve Jobs as CEO. He eliminated 70% of their product plans, launched the now-famous “Think Different” ad campaign, and reimagined their entire product line. Just a few short years later in 2001, they launched the iPod which propelled them out of the red and into the black. Fast forward to today, and Apple is now worth over $2.3 trillion. Every company has to navigate setbacks. It’s an inescapable part of the journey. This is the final installment of a 3 part BrightLive podcast series where we break down how to build a distinct brand. In this episode, we are focusing on navigating and overcoming setbacks. On the panel, we have Jacob Pechenick, the founder of Lettuce Grow, Manu Seve, the founder of Alphaa.io, and Loren Brill-Castle, the founder of Sweet Loren’s.In this segment of the series we discuss:

• dealing with implicit bias while raising capital

• why embracing big problems can lead to big growth

• how making the decision to become an entrepreneur is like switching religions

#0188 - Part 2/3 - How to Build a Distinct Brand: Creating Company Culture (ft. Founders of Lettuce Grow, Sweet Loren's and Alpha A)

If you’re anything like me, the pandemic has completely changed your view on office work. Why go in, when you can ditch the commute and work from home? On the surface, this seems pretty straightforward, but it puts founders and entrepreneurs in a tricky situation. Remote work can make it extremely difficult to develop a real sense of culture. The lack thereof negatively impacts employee retention, recruitment, and overall satisfaction. This is part 2 of a 3-part BrightLive podcast series where we break down how to build a distinct brand. In this episode, we are honing in on developing company culture in a time of uncertainty. On the panel, we have Jacob Pechenick, the founder of Lettuce Grow, Manu Seve, the founder of Alphaa.io, and Loren Brill-Castle, the founder of Sweet Loren’s.

In this segment of the series we discuss:
-     How to nurture and develop talent from within your company
-     How being open about your mission statement can attract the right candidates to you
-     How to put out fires when key members of the team are on vacation

#0187 - How to Build a Distinct Brand: Leadership (ft. Founders of Lettuce Grow, Sweet Loren's and Alpha A) 1 of 3

Approximately 20% of businesses fail in the first year, and around 50% go under in the first 5 years according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The companies that survive do so by navigating setbacks and creating a culture with effective leadership. They build a distinct brand. This is part 1 of a 3-part BrightLive podcast series where we break down how to build a distinct brand. In this episode, we are focusing on leadership and all that goes into becoming an effective leader. On the panel, we have Jacob Pechenick, the founder of Lettuce Grow, Manu Seve, the founder of Alphaa.io, and Loren Brill-Castle, the founder of Sweet Loren’s. In this segment of the series we discuss:

• Quiet quitting

• Navigating the hiring process

• Doing personality tests with investors only to have them back out on Christmas Eve

#0186 - Michael Allison - The Play Zone 🎾

What separates the world’s top athletes is not training, determination, or endurance. It is how they react to stress and pressure in the game. And this isn’t a simple mindset shift. It’s bigger than that. We are talking about how their nervous system responds to the unknown and unfamiliar. The longest nerve in our bodies is called the Polyvagal Nerve, and it’s responsible for instigating our fight or flight reflex, among other things. Our guest today, Michael Allison, has become an expert in how this nerve affects our performance in everything from public speaking to athletic competitions. Through this, he has developed The Play Zone, where he works with coaches to help athletes manage their physiology when it matters most. In this episode we discuss:

• what western swing dancers have in common with tennis doubles partners

• how to recognize when our bodies are in a suboptimal state and regain control in order to perform at our best

• And the application of Polyvagal Theory in helping entrepreneurs make better game-time decisions.

#0185 - Taylor & Casey - Cakes Body (Viral TikTok Brand)

NFO. Nipple Freak Out. If you know, you know. In response, Cakes Body has created the world’s first, grippy, not sticky nipple covers. They grip using your body’s natural heat and have no annoying stick adhesives. It’s a real problem all women deal with. So when they began sharing the products on TikTok, videos started to take off. They sold out of their entire inventory after 1 viral video. And then it happened again, again, and again. The founders had tapped into something much larger than just silicone nipple covers. Today we talk with Olivia, Taylor, and Casey, the owners of Cakes Body. We discuss:

• How Cakes Body is more of a movement than a company

• How they’ve built a community of Hype Girls

• How TikTok drives 90% of their sales

Without further adieu, meet Cakes Body.

#0184 - Leveraging Social Media - A Masterclass from our past guests

We have a special episode for you this week. We’re living in the attention economy. Every day, we are bombarded with nonstop notifications, advertisements, and emails. Since every company is competing for their customer’s attention, big brands dump large amounts of money into paid ads to hack the system. But we’re going to let you in on a little secret. Sponsored posts on social media don’t hit like they did a couple of years ago. Apps like TikTok have leveled the playing field. We’ve had TikTok videos organically reach 1 million views in 24hrs, and when the client wakes up in the morning, they have tons of orders that came as a result of those videos waiting to be packed. Small brands don’t have to spend thousands and thousands of dollars on ads. The playing field has officially been leveled. So this begs the question, “what do you post on TikTok or Instagram to see this same success?” In this episode, we are doing a look back on past episodes to dissect what works, and what doesn’t work so you can cash in on this attention economy.