#0217 - Joe Nicchi - CVT soft-serve 🍦 moves to CPG

In 1926, Charles Taylor patented the world’s first soft-serve ice cream machine. With the pull of a lever, these machines could dispense the cold yet soft ice cream we all know and love. Since that day, soft serve has been dispensed from those same machines. And if you’ve ever been to a McDonald’s where the ice cream machine is broken, you know the frustration of this aging system. However, 97 years after the first soft-serve machine turned the ice cream eating world upside down, Joe Nicchi has revolutionized how we consume soft-serve ice cream. He has created a way to package soft serve into a pouch, so you can enjoy it whenever, wherever. You no longer need to be Jeff Bezos to enjoy soft-serve ice cream in your house, because now you can grab a few pouches from the grocery store and keep them in your freezer. Or eat them all on the way home. No judgment from us. In today’s episode, we chat with Joe, the founder of CVT Soft Serve about:

🍦 How they are grappling to keep products on the shelves because the demand is so high

🍦 the importance of making his product “LA-mom friendly”

🍦 Why going on Shark Tank is a “hard pass” for him

#0216 - Shaira & Mabel - Luna Magic (as seen on Shark Tank 🦈)

Growing up in New York City, sisters Mabel and Shaira Frías have been working since they were 14. After years of saving, they decided to go all in on their dreams and start Luna Magic. Their first 18 months were a whirlwind. They landed 3 major retail accounts and made it on Shark Tank. And what’s crazy is that it actually wasn’t until the Shark Tank promo aired that their employers found out about their side hustle. They hadn’t yet quit their day jobs, and their bosses had no idea what was going on behind the scenes. But once they found out, it was nothing but love and support. This isn’t a mystery as to why this occurred, as the energy and passion they bring to their endeavors is apparent. By the end of this episode, you’ll likely feel the same way. In today’s episode we chat with Shaira and Mabel about:

🦈 How Craigslist is a secret hack for all small businesses

🦈 How small businesses can have the upper hand when in negotiations with major retailers

🦈 What it takes to become a hero to the kids in their old neighborhood.

#0215 - Rosa Li - Wild Wonder (as seen on Shark Tank 🦈)

The kombucha category grew from $1 million in sales in 2014 to $1.8 billion in 2019. Between being positioned as a better-for-you soda alternative, and the large marketing spend, it’s no wonder kombucha quickly skyrocketed in popularity. But the problem with kombucha is that the flavor is polarizing. For example, Mark Cuban is simply not a fan. To fill this gap, other probiotic drinks fought to capture market share. When today’s guest, Rosa Li, founder of wildwonder, appeared on Shark Tank, the big fruit flavors combined with the pre and probiotics, packed into a can, was a hit. Kombucha skeptic Mark Cuban gulped down the entire drink. Wildwonder is the world’s first sparkling prebiotic & probiotic beverage for gut health. It tastes more like a fresh juice than a fermented drink. Today, we chat with Rosa about:

🦈 Why she left her prestigious finance job to start a consumer packaged good company

🦈 The importance of diversifying everything

🦈 How her Shark Tank appearance couldn’t have worked out more perfectly

#0214 - Sabin Lomac - Cousins Maine Lobster 🦞 (as seen on Shark Tank 🦈)

After an insanely successful first day, the founders of Cousins Maine Lobster knew they had an instant classic on their hands. But what they didn’t know was that some of their early customers were actually Shark Tank producers. Not once, but twice, the producers tried to convince the two founders into appearing but each time, they turned it down. Eventually, the call of the Tank was too powerful to ignore and Cousins Maine Lobster appeared on Season 4 of Shark Tank. Since closing a deal with Barbara Corcoran, they have been able to expand to over 50 trucks and locations across 24 states. In today’s episode, we chat with Sabin Lamac, the co-founder of Cousins Maine Lobster about:

🦈 How this crazy journey all started over a round of drinks

🦈 How his relationship with Barbara has evolved over the years to where they’re now practically family

🦈 The beauty that comes with introducing people to lobster for the first time.

#0213 - Mindy Zemrak - Shark Tank Supervising Casting Producer 🦈

Approximately 20,000 businesses apply to be on Shark Tank each season. That means, over all 14 seasons, they have received over a quarter million applications to be on the show. What’s crazy is that only about 1,200, or .43% of the applicants make it on air. Some brands apply once, while some apply every year in the hopes of finally making it on the show. In today’s episode, we chat with Mindy Zemrak, the casting producer for Shark Tank. Mindy and her team sort through all of the applications to decide what brands make the cut to be on the show. So if you’ve ever been curious about what it takes to make it onto the Shark Tank floor, this is the episode for you. We discuss:

🦈 The most memorable Shark Tank pitch that left everyone in tears

🦈 The 4 tips she tells every entrepreneur before they enter the tank

🦈 Why after years of being surrounded by entrepreneurs, she’s never once been tempted to take the plunge herself.

#0212 - Brazi Bites - Junea Rocha - (as seen on Shark Tank 🦈)

Every culture has a food it’s known for. In Japan, it’s sushi, in Italy, it’s pasta, and in Brazil, it’s Pao de queijo, or Brazilian cheese bread. While sushi and pasta have long since made their way into every town in the United States, the same can’t be said for Brazilian cheese bread. Recognizing this gap in the market, Junea decided to bring her favorite snack to America. And so she founded Brazi Bites. Initially, the growth was steady and predictable, but once they went on Shark Tank, Junea quite literally couldn’t keep Brazi Bites on the shelves. In todays episode, we chat with Junea about:

🦈 Selling out nationwide in a matter of days after airing on Shark Tank

🦈 The challenges that come with inventing a new food category

🦈 And why her deal with Lori Greiner ended up falling through once the cameras stopped rolling.

#0211 - Tia Lupita Foods - Hector Saldivar - the Shark Tank 🦈 experience!

Over the past 14 seasons of Shark Tank, $221.5M has been invested in 729 companies. While it’s thrilling to watch the negotiations happen, just because everyone shakes on a deal, doesn’t mean it will actually close. Every company wants to be the unicorn that blows the sharks out of the water, but terms change and deals can fall through. So what happens once the pitch is over, the doors shut, and the cameras stop rolling? In today’s episode, we welcome back to the podcast, Hector Saldivar, the founder of Tia Lupita. Hector was recently on season 14 of Shark Tank, and he closed a deal with Kevin O’Leary for $500,000 as a line of credit for 5% equity. We wanted to chat with him to hear about the whole Shark Tank experience from his application all the way to how the show impacted his sales once it aired on TV. In this episode, we discuss:

🦈 Why he says Shark Tank producers know him better than his wife

🦈 The secret small brand killer in retailers

🦈 The immediate impact Shark Tank has on the brand’s sales

And make sure to listen until the end. Hector drops a super exciting partnership announcement that got us fired up in the studio.

#0210 - Bricia Lopez - Asada The Art of Mexican Style Grilling - all new cook book 🪇

If you’ve been a long-time listener of the podcast, you might recognize Bricia Lopez from episode 7. At that point, she had just received The James Beard American Classics Award for the best Oaxacan food in the country. Since then, she grabbed hold of a rocket ship, and her career hasn’t stopped ascending. Here are some highlights:

• Her drink mix, I Love Micheladas, officially launched at Costco

• She started Super Mamas, a chart-topping podcast, with her sister, Paulina

• And now you can officially bring the taste of Oaxaca to your home with Bricia Lopez’s new cookbook, Asada The Art of Mexican-Style Grilling.

These delicious recipes were born out of love, heritage, and passion. It’s one of the first-ever grilling books dedicated to the art of Mexican grilling, and it perfectly captures the beauty of asada culture in LA. In today’s episode, we chat with Bricia Lopez about:

• Why she insisted her cookbook photos be shot outside of a studio

• Why we should normalize Latino kids growing up with privilege

• Why people don’t write cookbooks to make money

#0209 - Holey Grail Donuts 🍩 - Nile Dreiling

Donuts are a stale $40 billion industry, but one company is breathing new life into the vocation. Holey Grail Donuts began its pilgrimage as a burger truck in Kauai, but it wasn’t long until they developed a cult following around their taro donuts. Fast forward to today and they just raised $9M in funding to open a bunch of shops in LA, and they’ve even garnished investments from Christopher Kostow and Tony Hawk. Part of what makes eating their donuts a religious experience is that they’re freshly made with each order, and the unique flavors they offer can only come as a result of divine inspiration. Today we talk with Holey Grail Donuts co-founder, Nile, about:

🍩 Making fresh donuts in his hotel room just before one of the most important pitches of his career

🍩 Taking a leap of faith in rapidly expanding their locations

🍩 Why there’s nothing unique from one small donut shop to the next

#0207 - Blue Cube - David Haddad (ice baths and cold plunges) 🥶🛁

Does submerging yourself in 44-degree water for 6 minutes sound fun to you? I promise you’ll only shake for the first couple of minutes! Well, thanks to people like Wim Hof and Joe Rogan, this practice has actually been gaining a lot of popularity. The benefits of ice baths, or cold water therapy include reduced inflammation and pain relief, and it can even boost your immune system. Some people fill metal tubs with bags upon bags of ice, while some people, like Diego, have a BlueCube. BlueCube makes high-end ice baths that keep the water chilled, flowing, and filtered so you don’t have to refill your tub daily with a hundred pounds of ice. In today’s episode, we talk with David Haddad, co-founder of BlueCube about:

🥶 The early days of starting BlueCube in a barn in Oregon

🥶 The science behind why cold plunging is so good for your health

🥶 How long should you stay in an ice bath to reap the full benefits

So, grab your towel or blanket before we plunge into this week’s episode.

#0206 - Dave - Jason Wilk (NeoBank --> Startup to IPO)

Let me give you a scenario: you try and purchase something on your debit card, but you don’t have enough money in your account instead of declining the purchase, your bank instead allows it to go through and charges you $35 for the “convenience” Overdraft fees accounted for $5.8 billion dollars of bank revenue in the first 3 quarters of 2022. These fees harm millions of Americans every year and can trap people in a cycle of debt. Jason Wilk, the founder of Dave, also struggled with these fees. What frustrated him the most was that if the bank just looked at his transaction history, they would be able to see a scheduled paycheck coming in only a couple of days. And in that frustration, Dave was born. Dave is an online bank offering no-interest loans based on your transaction history to avoid overdraft fees. In today’s episode, we discuss with Jason about:

🏦 How Mark Cuban invested in his first company only to cap his salary at $30,000/year

🏦 Going from the euphoria of an IPO to watching the stock price tumble a few days later

🏦 What it was like to transition from the CEO of a private company to a publicly traded one

#0205 - Burn the Boats - Matt Higgins 📚 (Guest Shark Tank and Author)

To quote Arnold Schwarzenegger: “big dreams require relentless focus, and any time we spend planning for failure sets us up for failure.” Today’s guest, Matt Higgins, literally wrote the book on the subject. He grew up in poverty in Queens, dropped out of high school to get his GED, and took night classes just to finish college. At that point, Matt had already beaten the odds, but he didn’t stop there. Matt became the youngest press secretary to the mayor’s office in New York City history, Vice Chairman of the Miami Dolphins, and a guest shark on Shark Tank. His path to success was hardly linear, but for Matt, it’s always been about taking calculated risks, which is why he titled his book Burn the Boats. In todays episode we discuss with Matt Higgins about:

🦈 Why his first impression of Gary Vaynerchuck was that he could make a career out of stealing Gary’s ideas

🦈 Letting his nerves almost get the best of him during his first appearance on Shark Tank

🦈 Why you should always bet on the jockey and not the horse

#0203 - Alegria Publishing - Davina Ferreira 📚

Latinos make up 20% of the population, yet publishing is only 8% Latino, making it the worst field in media for representation according to Publishers Weekly. This underrepresented demographic has so much untapped talent, yet Latinos are always seen as “less than others”. So, Davina, the founder of Alegria Publishing, wanted to focus on supporting new, exciting, and emerging literary voices in the latine/x community. Today, we talk with Davina, about:

📚 Her journey from growing up in Columbia during Pablo Escobar’s reign to starting a luxury magazine in Los Angeles

📚 How art truly has the power to change lives

📚 Why it was a blessing to the magazine prior to the rise of social media

#0202 - Conjure - Ali Ahmed 🚚 (on-demand delivery)

Conjure has created fully automated stores, on wheels. Using the Conjure app, you can hail the store to you in a matter of minutes. The autonomous vehicles show up, the doors automatically slide open, and you choose the products you want. Using the RFID tags, your account is then automatically billed only for the items you selected. You don’t have to talk to the driver, and all the options are truly at your fingertips. In this episode we talk with Ali Ahmed, the co-founder of Conjure, about:

🚚 How they broke the internet at CES, in 2018

🚚 Why they decided to launch specifically with ice cream

🚚 The implications of store hailing for industries outside of ice cream including grocery stores, markets, and alcohol.