High Stakes Growth

Isaac Mertens is the co-founder and CEO of Flux Footwear, a minimalist shoe brand that focuses on style and performance doing mid-8-figure annual revenue. Expect to hear about: – Etsy to Ecom: How Isaac scaled a furniture brand to 7 figures on Etsy, and why not owning demand pushed him to start Flux. – Financial Discipline: How his accounting background shaped a zero-debt, no-VC business with a focus on contribution margin and cash flow. – Amazon Breakout: The playbook behind going from $0 to $10M on Amazon in 2025. – Finding Hidden Growth: How niche personas (from Disney-goers to truck drivers) unlocked new Meta scale in a crowded ad landscape. – The Mission Behind Flux: Why Isaac cares more about creating genuine value for customers than selling the next trendy item. Find Isaac on:LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/isaac-mertens-5b107964/

Hector Hughes is the co-founder and CEO of Unplugged, a company offering tech-free cabin stays that help people disconnect from their phones and reset in nature. Expect to hear about: – Origin Moment: How a 10-day silent retreat in the Himalayas in 2019 pushed Hector to quit his job and start Unplugged just weeks later. – The Hard Part: Why it took 5 years to truly figure out the unit economics and revenue model, and his lessons from asset-heavy scaling. – Who It’s Really For: Why 80% of guests are couples, and how three days offline can reshape (or end) relationships. – Betting on Brand: How betting on brand marketing in 2025 created "brand heat" and cut CAC by 30-40% in a matter of months. – Founder Evolution: Hector’s shift from fear-driven hustle to a more sustainable, long-term approach to leadership and life. Find Hector on: LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/hector-hughes-10082195/

Lomit Patel is the CMO of Try Your Best (TYB), a commnunity rewards platform that helps brands reward its biggest fans and build community. He previously held senior roles at Tynker, IMVU, Texture, TrustedID, and Roku.Expect to hear about:– From Operator to Leader: How your way of work evolves as you transition from growth operator to strategic leader.– Community as Growth Engine: Why he believes efficient growth starts with retention, and how community drives LTV, referrals, and trust.– Being Early to AI: How Lomit used AI at IMVU circa 2018 to scale growth and compete with companies with much bigger budgets.– The Human Edge: Why he sees AI as a tool for marketers, not a replacement, and why the element of human trust will matter even more in the future.– Brand Beyond Last Click: Why he changed his view on brand, and how brand-building creates demand that performance marketing captures.Find Lomit on:LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/lomitpatel/ Find Lomit's newsletter "Lean 360" here:https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/lean-360-7153201357359927296/

Ramon Vela is the host of The Story of a Brand podcast, where he’s interviewed 1,000+ brand founders and operators across the consumer and ecommerce landscape. We break down 5 of the most important brand-building lessons he’s learned from those conversations.Expect to hear about:– The Power of Saying No: Why Chomps focused on one channel to build operational strength before scaling.– Building for Generations: How Hammitt’s long-term thinking turns durability into trust and repeat customers.– Surviving the Avalanche: How the Kuli Kuli founder's near-death experience shaped her ability to stay calm under pressure.– Planning for Downside: Why modeling worst-case scenarios helps brands survive unexpected drops.– Hiring Failed Founders: The surprising upside of hiring operators who’ve already learned hard lessons the hard way.Find Ramon on:LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramonvela/

Josh Suggs and Jesse Eisenberg are co-founders of StreetTalk, a fast-growing agency producing street interview ads for brands like Dr. Squatch, Grüns, and Ridge Wallet.Expect to hear about:– Dropping Out to Go All-In: How Josh left college, moved to NYC, and bet on street interview ads, and why Jesse told his mom to let him drop out.– Corporate to Scrappy: Why Jesse left a large agency to bet on StreetTalk, trading big teams and boardrooms for startup build mode.– The Rise of Unscripted Creative: Why influencer fatigue and AI-heavy ads are pushing brands toward raw, unscripted reactions.– Scaling Operations: What it takes to produce 10,000+ interviews for 150+ brands, and turn capturing spontaneous moments into a repeatable system.– Beyond the Street: Their push into B2B events, conferences, and building a content engine around Josh’s personal brand.Find Josh on:Twitter/X – https://x.com/joshsuggss LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-suggs-street-interview-ads-9912a3251/ Find Jesse on:LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesse-eisenberg-streettalk/

Michael Fisher is the founder and CEO of Rotten, a sour gummy candy brand launched in 2023 that's a better-for-you product, but also with fun, nostalgic 90s kids-cartoon branding. This episode is part of "The Climb," our series featuring founders in the early stages of building their brands. Expect to hear about: – Candy-First Brand: Why he rejected looking like a “diet candy” and built a weird 90s cartoon universe around Dr. Rotten. – Learning CPG from Scratch: Spending 2.5 years recipe testing, running focus groups, and launching a Kickstarter before selling a bag. – TikTok to 6,000 Doors: Using DTC and social to validate demand, then scaling into ~6,000 retail stores. – 1,000% YoY Growth Pains: What broke with rapid revenue growth, and how Michael resolved supply chain issues. – From Solo to Team of 6: Shifting from doing everything himself to hiring operators and learning to lead. Find Michael on:LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-fisher1/

Mark Samuel is the founder of Mark’s Snacks, a seed-oil-free kettle chip brand he launched in 2025, and previously the founder of IWON Organics. Expect to hear about: – Scaling IWON to 6,000 Doors: How Mark started IWON and grew the brand to thousands of retail doors. – Knowing When to Walk Away: How Mark knew it was the right time to license the brand out to a manufacturer in 2024. – Building in Public: How years of daily LinkedIn posting grew a 70,000+ follower base and helped launch Mark’s Snacks. – Health as a Founder Edge: Why Mark puts personal health above all else, and how his workout routine has evolved over the decades. – A Seed-Oil-Free Second Act: Why he’s betting on avocado-oil kettle chips and putting his name on the bag to build a connection with customers. Find Mark on:LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/markalansamuel/

Dinah Chapman is the founder of Little Trouble, an 8-figure kids clothing brand that has a fun and punk-inspired aesthetic.Expect to hear about:– Starting on Maternity Leave: Why Dinah launched Little Trouble in 2022 while pregnant and still working full-time in corporate marketing.– Scaling to $10M: How product expansion, retention, and paid media drove rapid growth.– Building Abroad: How traveling with her family to New Zealand, Bali, and Japan helped her leave her old routine in the U.S. and unlock bigger picture thinking for Little Trouble.– Building a Great Team: How Dinah resisted the “cheap labor” playbook and ensured she could offer strong pay/benefits and invest in A-players.– What’s Next: Inventory constraints, operational pressure, and the collabs and bets planned for 2026.Find Dinah on:LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/dinah-chapman/