The Story of a Brand Show

This episode is brought to you by Sendlane. Darin says, "really one of the best jigsaw puzzles on the market and really elevating it to be unilaterally the best product on the market. And really creating a whole new stratosphere within this category. And it's a category that's very ancient. It's been around in its current form for hundreds of years and in some basic form for thousands of years. And to be able to continue to innovate and elevate on something that's old is a special project." Today, we interview Darin Hardy, President & CEO of Blue Kazoo. Blue Kazoo is a premium jigsaw puzzle company that focuses on a few favorite 1,000-piece puzzles at a time, artfully designed and conscientiously crafted. We discuss: *We he's grateful for * Overview and origin of the Blue Kazoo * Does being in the military give you special insight to building a brand? * Blue Kazoo's success during the pandemic * His vision for the business * What makes Blue Kazoo different from other puzzles on the market * Why we learn most from our failures * His lessons from his previous experience at the Nasty Gal brand * How to turn customers into fans * Working with artist to produce unique puzzles * And more… Join Ramon Vela and Darin Hardy as we break down the inside story of Blue Kazoo on The Story of a Brand. For more on Blue Kazoo, visit: https://bluekazoo.games/ Subscribe and listen to the podcast on all major apps. Simply search for "The Story of a Brand" on your favorite podcast player. * This episode is brought to you by Sendlane. Alright, guys, here's the deal: I have a gift for you from our primary sponsor — Sendlane. They're giving away their online course eCommerce Academy - Email & SMS Marketing! This course gives you the step-by-step playbook to drive more revenue and retention with email & SMS. This is typically a $500 package, but for our listeners, it's entirely FREE when you get started with your FREE 14-day trial of Sendlane. When you do, chat with their support team and let them know you're one of our listeners to get full access to hours of course content that will help you make email marketing your #1 growth engine. Visit https://storybrandgift.com to get the details, sign up for a free trial and get your gift!

This episode is brought to you by Sendlane. Lauren says, "Me teaching you a healthy meal is not gonna save you. A diet by itself can't save you. You have to understand how to fuel your body, manage your stress, really understand how to cope with life as it happens. You can't talk about nutrition and you can't talk about even entrepreneurship without talking about mindset." Today, we interview Lauren Hubert, Registered Dietician, Founder, and CEO of The Sorority Nutritionist. The Sorority Nutritionist. We discuss: * What she's grateful for * An overview and origin of the brand * Her philosophy around diet, including food first, exercise second, habits, and dealing with stress. Why your mindset is so important and why being hard on yourself is the biggest challenge. * Why your eating habits are a hot mess * Her Hot and Healthy Method explained * Advice to entrepreneurs such as you need to be "relentlessly" yourself * What type of foods should you eat * What fast-food places are good place to eat to stay on your diet * Why we make weight-loss emotional * Who she works with and why Join Ramon Vela and Lauren Hubert as we break down the inside story of The Sorority Nutritionist on The Story of a Brand. For more on The Sorority Nutritionist, visit: https://thesororitynutritionist.com/ Subscribe and listen to the podcast on all major apps. Simply search for "The Story of a Brand" on your favorite podcast player. * This episode is brought to you by Sendlane. Alright, guys, here's the deal: I have a gift for you from our primary sponsor — Sendlane. They're giving away their online course eCommerce Academy - Email & SMS Marketing! This course gives you the step-by-step playbook to drive more revenue and retention with email & SMS. This is typically a $500 package, but for our listeners, it's entirely FREE when you get started with your FREE 14-day trial of Sendlane. When you do, chat with their support team and let them know you're one of our listeners to get full access to hours of course content that will help you make email marketing your #1 growth engine. Visit https://storybrandgift.com to get the details, sign up for a free trial and get your gift!

This episode is brought to you by Sendlane. Nick says, "And ieró comes from my roots and goes all the way back to ancient Greek. And ieró means sacred or eros. So sacred and ancient Greek. And for me and for all of us at the brand ieró, sacred means YOU. It's our homage to you and that authentic, beautiful light that you radiate out into the world every moment of the day. And to be cognizant of that. We're honoring you and we're empowering you, as we want to honor ourselves and empower ourselves with the same thing. It's that divine spark. It's that beautiful radiance that comes out and ricochets out into the universe." Today, we interview Nick Gavrelis, Founder & CEO of Iero Beauty. ieró Beauty is a dazzling, clean, high-vibrational beauty and lifestyle brand. They believe in amplifying positivity, encouraging authentic self-expression and nurturing the unique well-being of each person. Their holistic, multi-sensorial products and experiences nourish your whole self not just your skin. We discuss: * What he is grateful for? * Overview and origin of the brand * Why choosing the name of the brand was an important part of the brand journey * Nick's philosophy around beauty and our sacred selves * His motivations in business and life * The lessons learned from working at Pretty Pretty * How caring for his mother who suffered from dementia impacted his brand & life * Ingredient and product philosophy including crystal extracts * Going to Italy and how he started with "hybrid" skincare ~ blending skin care and makeup * Product review including self care and self beauty and giving you greater radiance * And so much more… Join Ramon Vela and Nick Gavrelis as we break down the inside story of ieró Beauty on The Story of a Brand. For more on ieró Beauty, visit: https://ierobeauty.com/ Subscribe and listen to the podcast on all major apps. Simply search for "The Story of a Brand" on your favorite podcast player. * This episode is brought to you by Sendlane. Alright, guys, here's the deal: I have a gift for you from our primary sponsor — Sendlane. They're giving away their online course eCommerce Academy - Email & SMS Marketing! This course gives you the step-by-step playbook to drive more revenue and retention with email & SMS. This is typically a $500 package, but for our listeners, it's entirely FREE when you get started with your FREE 14-day trial of Sendlane. When you do, chat with their support team and let them know you're one of our listeners to get full access to hours of course content that will help you make email marketing your #1 growth engine. Visit https://storybrandgift.com to get the details, sign up for a free trial and get your gift!

This episode is brought to you by Sendlane. Rebecca says, "The message is to be deliberate about your shopping. And I think for many people that can feel really overwhelming because we live in a world of fast fashion and fast consumption. My advice is to bite off things that feel manageable. For example, one year I made a commitment that every gift I bought for the entire year was going to be handmade. So maybe I can't afford to buy every single piece of clothing for my growing seven-year-old handmade or ethical, but I can make these commitments and purchase small and purchase from makers in ways that are meaningful." Today, we interview Rebecca Van Bergen, Executive Director & Founder of Nest. Nest supports artisan communities worldwide with business development programming designed to strengthen their operations and position them for long-term success. In partnership with brands, philanthropists, and their network of over 2,000 artisan businesses, their proven approach locks the potential of craft-based employment to advance gender and economic equity. We discuss: * What she's grateful for * Overview and origin of Nest * Is artisanship dying? And why crafts are in danger * Crafts, the creator economy, and women * Advice for social entrepreneurs * Case studies of artisans and the results of the program * Where to shop to support artisans including the Nest Label * Why it's free to join the Guild * And more… Join Ramon Vela and Rebecca Van Bergen as we break down the inside story of Nest on The Story of a Brand. For more on Nest, visit: https://www.buildanest.org/ Subscribe and listen to the podcast on all major apps. Simply search for "The Story of a Brand" on your favorite podcast player. * This episode is brought to you by Sendlane. Alright, guys, here's the deal: I have a gift for you from our primary sponsor — Sendlane. They're giving away their online course eCommerce Academy - Email & SMS Marketing! This course gives you the step-by-step playbook to drive more revenue and retention with email & SMS. This is typically a $500 package, but for our listeners, it's entirely FREE when you get started with your FREE 14-day trial of Sendlane. When you do, chat with their support team and let them know you're one of our listeners to get full access to hours of course content that will help you make email marketing your #1 growth engine. Visit https://storybrandgift.com to get the details, sign up for a free trial and get your gift!

This episode is brought to you by Sendlane. Dani says, "many people are putting desserts in jars now, but nothing looks like mine. Because it's labor intensive. They are hard to make. It is difficult. This is not an easy company to figure out how to scale, but I didn't want to compromise on the product. I wanted it to look this way, and I wanted to taste this way." Today, we interview Dani Beckerman, Founder of JARS By Dani. Jars by Dani started when founder Dani Beckerman wanted to share her love for baking. She came across a mason jar in a craft store and was driven to develop the next new dessert obsession. Something delicious and beautiful—that looked as good as it tasted. So she experimented with recipes until successfully creating her signature line of jars. Join Ramon Vela and Dani Beckerman as we break down the inside story of JARS by Dani on The Story of a Brand. For more on JARS By Dani, visit: https://www.jarsbydani.com/ Subscribe and listen to the podcast on all major apps. Simply search for "The Story of a Brand" on your favorite podcast player. * This episode is brought to you by Sendlane. Alright, guys, here's the deal: I have a gift for you from our primary sponsor — Sendlane. They're giving away their online course eCommerce Academy - Email & SMS Marketing! This course gives you the step-by-step playbook to drive more revenue and retention with email & SMS. This is typically a $500 package, but for our listeners, it's entirely FREE when you get started with your FREE 14-day trial of Sendlane. When you do, chat with their support team and let them know you're one of our listeners to get full access to hours of course content that will help you make email marketing your #1 growth engine. Visit https://storybrandgift.com to get the details, sign up for a free trial and get your gift!

This episode is brought to you by Sendlane. Renaldo says, "we actually put heart and soul into every product that we develop. And again, we think about this as if we were making a product specifically for our dog in our kitchen. In the same way, you would make food for your child or your spouse. That's how we want you to feel. That's the type of quality we want you to expect. And that's what you're getting from PetPlate on every product you buy from us." Today, we interview Renaldo Webb, Founder of PetPlate. PetPlate has had a simple mission: make better food for dogs so they can live longer, healthier, happier lives with their families. We discuss: * What he's grateful for including his time on Shark Tank * The lessons learned from appearing on Shark Tank * Why your consumers want to know that they are building something special with you * Advice to raising capital for People of Color * His background as a consultant * His "lightbulb" moment * The story of his dog suffering from IBS * The PetPlat mission and approach * Why 60% of pets are obese and 50% of dogs get cancer * Why PetPlate is human-grade quality food * Why they make food the same way (and love) you make for your kids and family Join Ramon Vela and Renaldo Webb as we break down the inside story of PetPlate on The Story of a Brand. For more on PetPlate, visit: https://www.petplate.com/ Subscribe and listen to the podcast on all major apps. Simply search for "The Story of a Brand" on your favorite podcast player. * This episode is brought to you by Sendlane. Alright, guys, here's the deal: I have a gift for you from our primary sponsor — Sendlane. They're giving away their online course eCommerce Academy - Email & SMS Marketing! This course gives you the step-by-step playbook to drive more revenue and retention with email & SMS. This is typically a $500 package, but for our listeners, it's entirely FREE when you get started with your FREE 14-day trial of Sendlane. When you do, chat with their support team and let them know you're one of our listeners to get full access to hours of course content that will help you make email marketing your #1 growth engine. Visit https://storybrandgift.com to get the details, sign up for a free trial and get your gift!

This episode is brought to you by Sendlane. Amy says, "every element of building this product, whether in the device or in the consumable side, or in the formulations itself and your packaging, every detail, is something we're extremely proud of, that we've really looked at every detail to say, how can we integrate to make one really amazing experience for what whomever our consumer base is." Today, we interview Amy Buckalter, Founder of Pulse. Pulse™ is the first-ever touchless personal lubricant warmer and dispenser. Gone are the days of messy, sticky, cold tubes and bottles of lubricant. Pulse's patent pending heating technology warms your lubricant to the ideal temperature. We discuss: * What she's grateful for * How she approaches raising funds and meeting with investors * The vision and transformative nature of the brand * The Pulse Vision explained * Hiring a PhD to survey women and their issues and needs * The biases she confronted with investors * Why 54% of purchases are from Men * Review of their product development and design * Why many lubricants are harmful and what they do differently * How their formulations have FDA approval * Their secret sauce and more… Join Ramon Vela and Amy Buckalter as we break down the inside story of Pulse on The Story of a Brand. For more on Pulse, visit: https://lovemypulse.com/ Subscribe and listen to the podcast on all major apps. Simply search for "The Story of a Brand" on your favorite podcast player. * This episode is brought to you by Sendlane. Alright, guys, here's the deal: I have a gift for you from our primary sponsor — Sendlane. They're giving away their online course eCommerce Academy - Email & SMS Marketing! This course gives you the step-by-step playbook to drive more revenue and retention with email & SMS. This is typically a $500 package, but for our listeners, it's entirely FREE when you get started with your FREE 14-day trial of Sendlane. When you do, chat with their support team and let them know you're one of our listeners to get full access to hours of course content that will help you make email marketing your #1 growth engine. Visit https://storybrandgift.com to get the details, sign up for a free trial and get your gift!

This episode is brought to you by Sendlane. Emily says, "it blew my mind. So my brain started to integrate all of these things. I could still do the skin treatments, but not with the tools that most people know. I'm an alternative to Botox surgery, lasers and invasive procedures because I know that there are many roads to Rome. There are different ways to arrive at a solution." Today, we interview Emily Fritchey, Founder & CEO of Sunshine Botanicals. Sunshine Botanicals believes in clinical skincare from a botanical perspective. They create effective, transformative products sourced straight from Mother Nature. We discuss: * What she's grateful for * Why, foremost, the Sunshine story is a love story * Why her approach is an alternative to evasive procedures * How she works with cancer patients (and discusses her own skin cancer) * Advice for dealing with skin issues and where they should begin * What is wild crafting and why she uses this ancient art form * Simple things men can do to take of their skin * And so much more… Join Ramon Vela and Emily Fritchey as we break down the inside story of Sunshine Botanicals on The Story of a Brand. For more on Sunshine Botanicals, visit: https://www.sunshinebotanicals.com/ Subscribe and listen to the podcast on all major apps. Simply search for "The Story of a Brand" on your favorite podcast player. * This episode is brought to you by Sendlane. Alright, guys, here's the deal: I have a gift for you from our primary sponsor — Sendlane. They're giving away their online course eCommerce Academy - Email & SMS Marketing! This course gives you the step-by-step playbook to drive more revenue and retention with email & SMS. This is typically a $500 package, but for our listeners, it's entirely FREE when you get started with your FREE 14-day trial of Sendlane. When you do, chat with their support team and let them know you're one of our listeners to get full access to hours of course content that will help you make email marketing your #1 growth engine. Visit https://storybrandgift.com to get the details, sign up for a free trial and get your gift!

This episode is brought to you by Sendlane. Kristy says, "the mission that I've been on is how can we deliver the best food safely to our consumers? And some of that's organic, and some of that's conventional, but that conventional is the reduction of pesticides. How do we reduce pesticides? How do we reduce synthetics and inputs into our soil? How do we clean up waterways? What are our actions doing to meet all of that? And that was where we came up with this Be better, do better initiative." Today, we interview Kristy Lewis, Founder of Quinn. Quinn is on a mission to shake up the food industry by reinventing snacks, using crazy delicious and intentionally sourced real ingredients, with a dedication to doing things better every step along the way. We discuss: * What she's grateful for * Overview, origin, and evolution of Quinn * The origins of the Farm to Bag initiative * The secret to Quinn's longevity * How microwave popcorn put them on the map * Advice for founders of Food & Beverage brands * Why less than 99% of food is grown organically? * The Be Better, Do Better initiative * How Whole Foods has been a great partner Join Ramon Vela and Kristy Lewis as we break down the inside story of Quinn on The Story of a Brand. For more on Quinn, visit: https://quinnsnacks.com/ Subscribe and listen to the podcast on all major apps. Simply search for "The Story of a Brand" on your favorite podcast player. * This episode is brought to you by Sendlane. Alright, guys, here's the deal: I have a gift for you from our primary sponsor — Sendlane. They're giving away their online course eCommerce Academy - Email & SMS Marketing! This course gives you the step-by-step playbook to drive more revenue and retention with email & SMS. This is typically a $500 package, but for our listeners, it's entirely FREE when you get started with your FREE 14-day trial of Sendlane. When you do, chat with their support team and let them know you're one of our listeners to get full access to hours of course content that will help you make email marketing your #1 growth engine. Visit https://storybrandgift.com to get the details, sign up for a free trial and get your gift!

This episode is brought to you by Sendlane. Jared says, "we get in line with how e-commerce companies implement tools and what I mean by that is, we don't say, here's luminous, fit all of it in here. We instead say, what is going to work best for you? We have a purchase order tool and an inventory and a warehouse management tool. There is a B2B portal and an invoicing tool. And we can also connect to any tool that you currently use." Today, we interview Jared Ward, Founder & CEO of Luminous. Luminous is an all-in-one platform that allows you to manage your entire e-commerce supply chain from one place. We discuss: * What he's grateful for * Overview and origin of Luminous * The problems he saw as an e-commerce operator including forecasting, google sheets, organization, and more * The problem that data auditing solves, hint: your data is dirty * Trends with omni-channel and e-commerce brands * Advice for founders and operators * Why complexity is the culprit * Review of the Luminous platform and modules * Onboarding and implementation * And how to know if Luminous is right for your brand Join Ramon Vela and Jared Ward as we break down the inside story of Luminous on The Story of a Brand. For more on Luminous, visit: https://www.joinluminous.com/ Subscribe and listen to the podcast on all major apps. Simply search for "The Story of a Brand" on your favorite podcast player. * This episode is brought to you by Sendlane. Alright, guys, here's the deal: I have a gift for you from our primary sponsor — Sendlane. They're giving away their online course eCommerce Academy - Email & SMS Marketing! This course gives you the step-by-step playbook to drive more revenue and retention with email & SMS. This is typically a $500 package, but for our listeners, it's entirely FREE when you get started with your FREE 14-day trial of Sendlane. When you do, chat with their support team and let them know you're one of our listeners to get full access to hours of course content that will help you make email marketing your #1 growth engine. Visit https://storybrandgift.com to get the details, sign up for a free trial and get your gift!

This episode is brought to you by Sendlane. Tuan compares their brand to hospitality. He says, "hospitality, at its best, provides a culinary and guest experience that just captures the imagination of the guest. It becomes memorable. You broaden their palette, and you really inspire them to know more. And suddenly they ask questions. Where did this flavor come from? What culture? Where did you source this? What farm? That really goes to what drives you to actually work in the industry and be able to share." Today, we interview Tuan Lee, Founder of Vervet. Vervet is a Los Angeles-based woman & minority-owned cocktail company that's dedicated to making clean draft drinks from the best products and flavors California offers. They use plant-based preservatives, no lab-made flavors, real ingredients, and BPA lining free can, makes what Vervet makes better for you. We discuss: * Why he's grateful for his immigrant parents and their courage * Overview and origin of Vervet * The hospitality background of the founders and why it informs the brand ethos * A word on the amazing achievements of the Asian American community and tragedies * Their Bar Napkin origin story * Why building a brand is a solutions game * Hospitality style drinks, unique flavors, fresh ingredients no synthetic after taste * Why they push back against the status quo way * Making their own bitters and tonics from scratch * Product review including a "clear Bloody Mary" and sake cocktails * Advice to Founders * Why they may be the only brand using plant-based preservatives * And more… Join Ramon Vela and Tuan Lee as we break down the inside story of Vervet on The Story of a Brand. For more on Vervet, visit: https://drinkvervet.com/ Subscribe and listen to the podcast on all major apps. Simply search for "The Story of a Brand" on your favorite podcast player. * This episode is brought to you by Sendlane. Alright, guys, here's the deal: I have a gift for you from our primary sponsor — Sendlane. They're giving away their online course eCommerce Academy - Email & SMS Marketing! This course gives you the step-by-step playbook to drive more revenue and retention with email & SMS. This is typically a $500 package, but for our listeners, it's entirely FREE when you get started with your FREE 14-day trial of Sendlane. When you do, chat with their support team and let them know you're one of our listeners to get full access to hours of course content that will help you make email marketing your #1 growth engine. Visit https://storybrandgift.com to get the details, sign up for a free trial and get your gift!

This episode is brought to you by Sendlane. Francesco says, "I believe being an entrepreneur is one of the most rewarding things. It's the most rewarding thing I've ever done in my life. And it's by far the hardest. I like to think of launching your brand or company as being in front of a mirror where all of your strengths are amplified, but all of your weaknesses are amplified as well." Today, we interview Francesco Urso, Founder of Wolf Project. Wolf Project is a brand of skin care for men, with the ambition of transforming the way men take care of their skin. They work with beauty experts in Korea to merge Swiss rigor and Korean know-how. We discuss: * Why he's grateful for his wife * Mental health and entrepreneurship and why it needs more attention * Different ways of dealing with stress and anxiety, including journaling * A forecast and predictions for Skincare brands in 2023: What will it look like * How D2C brands are no longer laughing at large conglomerate brands * What 2022 looked like and lessons learned * Strategy differences between what he did in 2023 vs 2022 * How his thinking has evolved and why he believes you need to think bigger * Breakdown of products, including why they start by making products they would use * And more… Join Ramon Vela and Francesco Urso as we break down the inside story of Wolf Project on The Story of a Brand. For more on Wolf Project, visit: https://wolfproject.co/ Subscribe and listen to the podcast on all major apps. Simply search for "The Story of a Brand" on your favorite podcast player. * This episode is brought to you by Sendlane. Alright, guys, here's the deal: I have a gift for you from our primary sponsor — Sendlane. They're giving away their online course eCommerce Academy - Email & SMS Marketing! This course gives you the step-by-step playbook to drive more revenue and retention with email & SMS. This is typically a $500 package, but for our listeners, it's entirely FREE when you get started with your FREE 14-day trial of Sendlane. When you do, chat with their support team and let them know you're one of our listeners to get full access to hours of course content that will help you make email marketing your #1 growth engine. Visit https://storybrandgift.com to get the details, sign up for a free trial and get your gift!

This episode is brought to you by Sendlane. Saskia says, "we make everything from toddler snacks to preschool snacks and adult snacks, and we season each of them with herbs and spices that you typically find in Latin American kitchens. So our goal really is to innovate in a space where you traditionally find either really sweet or really salty products, or run-of-the-mill flavors like barbecue, ranch and Cheddar. Instead, we're coming in with something unique that is just not offered today." Today, we interview Saskia Sorrosa, Founder & CEO of Fresh Bellies. Fresh Bellies is creating a new generation of healthful, adventurous eaters. Made with whole, non-GMO and Kosher ingredients, Fresh Bellies products never mask vegetables or fruits with added sugars and feature flavors never seen in the kid aisle. We discuss: * What she's grateful for * Overview and origin of the brand * Her background working with the NBA and her motivations for starting Fresh Bellies * How they develop recipes and make the snack at scale * Her biggest challenges in building the brand * The brand's recipe philosophy and her focus on clean simple ingredients * Why parents are seeking alternatives to what is in the snack isle * The future of the brand and upcoming new products and more… Join Ramon Vela and Saskia Sorrosa as we break down the inside story of Fresh Bellies on The Story of a Brand. For more on Fresh Bellies, visit: https://freshbellies.com/ Subscribe and listen to the podcast on all major apps. Simply search for "The Story of a Brand" on your favorite podcast player. * This episode is brought to you by Sendlane. Alright, guys, here's the deal: I have a gift for you from our primary sponsor — Sendlane. They're giving away their online course eCommerce Academy - Email & SMS Marketing! This course gives you the step-by-step playbook to drive more revenue and retention with email & SMS. This is typically a $500 package, but for our listeners, it's entirely FREE when you get started with your FREE 14-day trial of Sendlane. When you do, chat with their support team and let them know you're one of our listeners to get full access to hours of course content that will help you make email marketing your #1 growth engine. Visit https://storybrandgift.com to get the details, sign up for a free trial and get your gift!