Actively Black didn’t start with a product—it started with a community. By building a 23,000-person audience before launch, founder Lanny Smith turned purpose-driven storytelling into a $55,000 first day and a $2 million first year. His journey shows aspiring entrepreneurs why demand-first thinking, authentic mission, and smart list-building can change everything.

For more on Actively Black click here

You'll Learn:

• Why Actively Black built community before developing a product
• The email + SMS strategy that led to $55K in sales on launch day
• How to sell $2M+ in your first year—even with constant stockouts
• Why fast growth can be just as dangerous as no growth
• How to use storytelling and cultural pride to create brand resonance
• What it takes to build long-term customer trust without discounting
• How Lanny structured partnerships with Marvel, Disney, and iconic estates
• The real math behind inventory planning at scale (and why it’s so hard)
• How to align investors with your vision, not just your bottom line
• Why purpose is more powerful than product in competitive industries
• How Lanny’s personal values fuel every decision—from pricing to hiring

Chapters:

00:00 Introducing Lanny Smith, Founder of Actively Black

01:02 How a Career Pivot Sparked a $2M Vision

01:27 Building 10K Followers Before Launching a Product

03:31 Why Purpose-Driven Branding Fueled $55K on Day One

06:54 What Selling Out in 3 Weeks Taught Us About Manufacturing

10:30 How Actively Black Landed Partnerships with Marvel, Disney & More

17:52 The Traits Behind Scaling to 8 Figures and Beyond

18:48 What to Know Before Entering the $1.5T Apparel Market

19:54 From “No” to $2M: How to Power Through Rejection

21:43 Turning a Personal Setback Into Multi-Million Dollar Growth

25:35 Why Actively Black Is More Than Just Merch (And Why That Matters)

29:04 How Mission and Authenticity Drive Repeat Purchases

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Taza Chocolate didn’t follow trends—it built a lasting brand by doubling down on its differences. Founders Alex Whitmore and Kathleen Fulton share how staying true to their product, owning their manufacturing, and leading with purpose helped them weather crises and grow a resilient business.

For more on Taza Chocolate and show notes click here

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While the bike helmet industry screamed "you need this for safety!", Gloria Hwang did the opposite. She made helmets so beautiful that 25% of Thousand customers are wearing helmets for the first time ever. Thousand now offers helmet and bike accessories in 20+ countries with financial backing from REI and the Clif Bar Family Office. 

Gloria talks all things customer loyalty, business branding, and nailing your product roadmap for maximum impact. She intimately shares how a personal tragedy inspired a mission to save 1,000 lives, and how that number grew to 1,300+ through their lifetime crash replacement guarantee. You’ll learn the counterintuitive strategy that made safety cool, and why Thousand wins with culture instead of competing on tech features. 

For more on Thousand click here. 

You’ll learn: 

• Why fear-based marketing fails and what works instead
• The psychology insight that built a $10M+ brand across 20+ countries
• How 25% of customers are first-time helmet wearers
• Transitioning from maker to manager over 10 years
• Taking back the product roadmap to return to core differentiation
• Why solving customer problems beats chasing growth at all costs

Chapters:

00:00 Introducing Gloria Hwang, Founder & CEO of Thousand

1:30 How to Change Customer Behaviors 

4:11 The Personal Tragedy That Started Thousand & The Design Philosophy That Wins Every Time

5:15 Why 25% of Customers Are First-Time Helmet Wearers

7:30 Steps to Get Further Differentiated & Beat Out The Competition 

9:55 Strategies for Collecting High-Quality Customer Insights 

16:00 Expanding to 20+ Countries & Quality Standards

19:50 The BEST Advice Gloria Has Ever Gotten 

24:30 The Hardest Transition Gloria Went Through & How to Tackle People Problems 

29:20 What to Ask for When Pitching Investors (Surprise, it’s NOT Money)  

32:48 How Motherhood Changed Her Approach to Business

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How founder Catherine Lockhart built Shelter Skin through deliberate growth, in-house manufacturing, and radical transparency.

For more on Shelter Skin and show notes click here

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Matthew Burrows didn't start Plant Material with a big budget, but through strategic inventory management and real-time tracking, he's built a three-location business growing 50% year-over-year. Today, the business competes against giants like Home Depot and Lowe's, taking pride as the #1 search result on Google. 

In this heartfelt conversation Matthew shares the exact systems that allow him to never overstock, eliminate waste, and maintain the illusion of endless inventory. All while operating with a lean team and minimal capital! Plant Material acts a safe-haven for community gatherings as they offer California-native and regionally appropriate plants, gardening tools, and other art objects in three different Los Angeles nurseries. You’ll learn the ins and outs of merchandising, plant nursery management, and the inventory technique that saves Matthew 6-figures in revenue.   

For more on Plant Material click here. 

You’ll Learn:

• How Matthew uses mobile inventory tracking to buy only what he needs in real-time
• Why strong grower relationships allow ultra-lean operations
• The forecasting method that predicts seasonal demand with precision
• How to make a small retail operation appear much larger than it is
• Why online showcasing (not just selling) drives foot traffic
• The SEO strategies that help Plant Material compete without ad spend

Chapters:

00:00 Introducing Matthew Burrows, Cofounder of Plant Material 

1:08 How to Achieve 50% Year-Over-Year Growth (Despite Challenges) 

2:44 Defining Your Mission– The Do’s & Don’ts

3:34 Why to View Competition As A Good Thing (Even Home Depot)

5:25 The Best Tips From 15 Years Of Retail Experience 

7:30 How to Scale Brick-And-Mortar First, Online Second

8:15 How Shopify Showcases Real-Time Inventory to Save Plant Material 6 Figures

12:17 Build an Efficient Supply Chain + Inventory Management Systems Tools 

17:55 Steps to Prepare for Seasonality In Business  

20:23 Building Gardens for The Community + Events That Make An Impact

23:42 The Key to Appearing Bigger Than You Are (The SEO Secret) 

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MiJa Books grew from a side project to a nearly $1M business by turning customer feedback into smart pivots, book fairs, and scalable systems.

For more on MiJa Books and show notes click here

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SET Active founder, Lindsey Carter has nailed a well-timed, high in demand, product drop. Now the team sells out millions worth of products in the matter of hours. In just seven years, she's built a celebrity-loved athletic wear brand that generates $1 million in under an hour and is on track to hit $30 million in annual revenue this year. Lindsey has yet to take on a dollar from investors and has no plans of slowing down any time soon. 

Lindsey shares the strategies behind building a brand that Hailey Bieber, Kendall Jenner, and thousands of loyal customers can't get enough of. She candidly opens up about building a community with 8,200+ super fans on Instagram, and leveraging AI tools that save her and her team hours every day. We’ll dive into the highs and lows of entrepreneurship, from placing risky second orders to keep momentum going, to learning hard lessons about hiring. 

For more on SET Active click here. 

In this episode you’ll learn: 

• The exact strategy behind SET Active's $1M resort drop (and why location matters)
• How to build real community that drives sales (spoiler: you can't fake it)
• AI tools that turned 5-hour tasks into 5-minute wins
• Why momentum is everything and how to maintain it across drops
• Social media secrets and why you should treat each platform like a different family member
• Smart hiring practices and what makes employees buy into founder vision
• The power of asking for help when you need it most
• How transparency and vulnerability create customer loyalty
• What's next for Set Active…Four Seasons collabs, gorpcore, and 90s-inspired collections

Chapters:

(Tips: use vague and general language that identifies what the next few minutes will talk about) 

00:00 Introducing Lindsey Carter & Set Active

2:20 The Lightning Strike Moment: How Lindsey Discovered Her Entrepreneurial Passion

5:07 The Investor Advice Every Entrepreneur Needs to Hear 

7:00 How to Build Momentum Early In Business (+ How to Keep it Going) 

10:21 Core Challenges 7 Years into Set Active & How to Overcome Them

14:45 Hitting Rock Bottom In Life/Business–How to Bounce Back from A Down Year 

19:47 The $1M Resort Drop Strategy

23:26 New Trends Coming Up: Gorpcore, a Four Seasons collab & more

25:10 Why You Can’t Fake Community & Winning Social Media Strategies 

27:09 AI Tools That Set Active Swears By

35:29 The Secret to Consistent Wins: How Set Keeps Momentum Going 

Guest: Lindsey Carter

Title: Founder & CEO 

Company: SET ACTIVE 

Industry: Fashion

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Beekman 1802’s founders turned crisis into opportunity, building a $92 million skin care brand by starting small, staying disciplined, and leading with heart.

For more on Beekman 1802 and show notes click here

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Peak Design has raised over $60 million on Kickstarter across multiple campaigns, making them one of the most successful crowdfunding brands in history. Their most recent campaign alone generated $13.5 million. Founder Peter Dering shares the exact strategies, lessons, and controversial decisions behind building a $100M+ business entirely without venture capital.

For more on Peak Design click here. 

In this episode, Peter reveals:

• The Kickstarter Strategy: Peak Design uses crowdfunding as a fundamental building block of their brand, not just a sales channel.
• The "Omnichannel Sandwich" Approach: For their $13.5M campaign, Peak Design launched in retail stores at full price before fulfilling all Kickstarter orders, despite the backlash, they'd do it again.
• Building Without Investors: Kickstarter's upfront payment model solved cashflow challenges and allowed Peak Design to stay completely investor-free while reaching $100M in revenue.
• The Origin Story: A four-month motorcycle trip through Southeast Asia sparked the idea for a camera clip. That idea would evolve into an entire ecosystem of gear for photographers and adventurers.
• Company Culture & Transparency: The stated purpose of Peak Design is for employees to live happy and meaningful lives, and Peter shares all financial figures with his team.
• The Climate Change Project: Peter co-founded the Change Climate Project, creating the most robust climate certification now used by over 300 companies including REI, with Peak Design spending $350,000 annually on carbon mitigation.

Chapters:

00:00 Introducing Peter Dering, Founder of Peak Design 

3:13 How Peter Pivoted from Construction Engineering to Being His Own Boss 

4:00 Where to Find Life & Business Inspiration 

5:27 Peter’s First Invention: How to Bring a Product to Life 

6:55 Breaking Down One of the Most Successful Kickstarter Campaigns Ever 

8:28 The Steps for Scaling Sales From $700,000-$100M 

10:22 The Best (Timeless) Kickstarter Tips  

13:40 How Peak Design Hit Their Best Crowdfunding Campaign To Date: $13M

17:00 Peter’s POV On VC Dollars  

19:10 Company Culture: The Key to Team Building & Being a Successful, Meaningful Leader 

24:20 The Impact of Climate Change & The Creation of The Change Climate Project 

28:10 Peak Design’s Lifetime Warranty & How They Maintain High Customer Lifetime Value 

30:00 Immersive Community Tactics That Create Value 

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How Haley Pavone turned a college injury into an eight-figure convertible footwear brand built on curiosity, grit, and smart, sustainable growth.

For more on Pashion Footwear and show notes click here

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Rachel Hochhauser and Jena Wolfe didn’t quit their jobs to build Piecework Puzzles—and that’s exactly why it worked. The cofounders share how they turned a stormy weekend experiment into a multi-million dollar lifestyle brand, all while maintaining full-time careers. As VP of Marketing for Goop Kitchen, and renowned Author and creative agency owner, the duo are mastering the art of balancing everything, in real time. From starting with just four puzzle designs shot in Rachel’s grandmother’s garage, to spawning an entire aesthetic movement in the industry, Rachel and Jena have made their mark. They aren’t afraid to do things differently, constantly learning and iterating from production nightmares and successful campaign launches. 

Discover their unconventional approach to entrepreneurship, product development, and world building in this candid interview. They both reveal why bootstrapping gave them the creative freedom they craved, how they navigate being business partners and best friends, and the unexpected pivot that led to their viral cocktail napkin line.

For more on Piecework Puzzles click here. 

In This Episode You’ll Learn: 

• Why NOT taking investor money gave them complete creative control
• The “advice tour” strategy that helped them solve business problems
• How they went from puzzles to viral tomato napkins (and why that shouldn’t have worked)
• What happened when their manufacturer dropped them during the pandemic
• Why working with your best friend can actually be brilliant
• Their approach to brand partnerships with everyone from Goop to Better Homes & Gardens
   

Chapters:

00:00 Introducing Piecework Puzzles and The Stormy Weekend That Started It All 

3:30 How to Find Your Gap In the Market & Stand Out

6:00 Design Philosophy 101: How to Create Products That People Connect With

8:40 The Importance of Creative Freedom & How to Obtain It!

10:45 How to Run a Successful Business with Your BFF

13:50 Starting Cultural Moments: The Origins of The Tomato Craze

16:20 The Product Expansion That Shouldn’t Have Worked (But Did)

20:15 Advice for Overcoming Manufacturing Nightmares

23:00 The “Advice Tour” Strategy That Has Saved Piecework Puzzles

26:49 Brand Partnerships: From Goop to Broccoli Magazine

29:15 Addressing Dupe Culture… 

32:45 Leadership Tips For Building a Lean & Productive Team

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