Episodes

Mark Rampolla, founder of Zico and co-founder of venture capital firm Powerplant Ventures, spoke about why he reviews long-term goals on a daily basis and the importance of thoughtful communication with employees and colleagues. He also explained why daily huddles are key for highly effective organizations and why getting to bed early every night is the most underrated habit of all.

In this week’s episode, GoodBelly CEO Alan Murray explained the roles that ambition and leverage played into his first CEO job, how observing others helped frame his own leadership style, and why hanging out by the coffee machine is key to understanding company dynamics. He also discussed how GoodBelly has honed in on its core consumers and what elicited its partnership with General Mills.

In this week’s episode, we sat down with Rise Nitro Coffee Co. co-founder/CEO Grant Gyesky who spoke about how the fast-growing brand considers innovation and distribution amid an evolving market for RTD coffee, why first-time entrepreneurs often make better decisions than industry veterans, and why it’s critical to choose the right advisors.

Influential natural foods entrepreneur and investor Steve Hughes reflected upon his roles as the founder of Boulder Brands and co-founder of investment firm Sunrise Strategic Partners. As part of our conversation, he explained why he believes the funding environment for natural CPG brands is “capitalism at its absolute best,” and what he sees as the most exciting development for the industry.

In this episode, we’re joined by Mike Cessario, the founder and CEO of Liquid Death, a canned water brand whose heavy metal vibe and edgy marketing has generated considerable online buzz and attracted funding from a range of prominent investors. Cessario spoke about his experience as a creative director for Netflix and how it played into the brand’s development, why he views Liquid Death as a rebuke to extreme marketing, and why truly innovative ideas always sound crazy.

High Brew Coffee founder/CEO David Smith reflected upon his 20 year journey as a beverage entrepreneur, from the development and eventual sale of Sweet Leaf Tea to his next act in the coffee business. During our conversation, he explained why a strong company culture is key to success, the importance of planning for growth, and why, no matter how well you plan, mistakes are unavoidable. This episode is presented by Flavorman, the beverage architects.

Evan Holod, the CEO of Michel et Augustin US, the American arm of the popular French snack maker, explained how the company reimagined its brand positioning and product packaging for American audiences.