#17: Reinventing Traeger, Building Skullcandy, and Leading Through Crisis

Sep 24, 2025

In this discussion, Jeremy Andrus, CEO of Traeger Grills and former CEO of Skullcandy, delves into his journey of transforming brands into cultural icons. He shares insights on overcoming crises, particularly after Traeger's IPO, and emphasizes the shift from financial success to meaningful leadership. Jeremy also explores building products that foster community, the importance of daily habits, and how he instills tenacity in his six children. His candid perspective redefines success as creating joy and connection, not just profit.

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ANECDOTE

First Customer Changed His View

Jeremy describes meeting the first Traeger owner who said, "Traeger changed my life," which revealed deep customer passion.
That meeting convinced him the product created real communal experiences worth scaling.

INSIGHT

Product Is An Experience

Traeger sells an experience, not just steel and wood, by making wood cooking accessible and consistent.
The brand focuses on flavor, community, visual content, and aspiration to create emotional bonds.

ADVICE

Use TVAC For Product Decisions

Use TVAC (Taste, Versatility, Ease, Consistency, Community) as a product checklist for decisions.
Ask whether new features improve flavor, versatility, ease, consistency, or community impact.

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The journey from startup to global brand is never easy, but it’s the moments of crisis that define true leaders.

In this episode, Jeremy Andrus, CEO of Traeger Grills and former CEO of Skullcandy, shares how he transformed two consumer brands into icons. From taking Skullcandy public to reinventing Traeger into the world’s number one wood-pellet grill company, Jeremy reveals the resilience and grit required to lead through chaos, culture shifts, and the toughest year of his career after going public.

We dive into the formula for building products people love, why culture and community fuel legendary brands, and how Jeremy redefined success from chasing money to creating meaning. He also opens up about raising a family of six, designing daily habits for strength, and why joy, not status, is the ultimate measure of life.

This is a raw and inspiring conversation for entrepreneurs, leaders, and anyone who wants to build with purpose and lead with resilience.

Follow Jeremy Andrus – Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeremy_andrus/
Follow Derek – X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/derekjandersen

Timestamps:

0:00 – Intro: turning products into experiences
2:00 – Food, community, and the emotional power of brand
6:00 – Why Traeger is about more than grills
10:00 – TVAC: the formula for building products that people love
13:00 – From financial pressure to purpose-driven leadership
18:00 – Sharing success with your team and rewarding loyalty
26:30 – Surviving IPO challenges and leading through 2022
28:30 – Finding happiness while going through pain
34:00 – Ego, humility, and separating identity from success
40:00 – Family, partnership, and redefining balance
48:00 – Morning routines, mini-habits, and building daily strength
57:00 – Teaching grit and tenacity to the next generation
1:03:00 – Core principles for building an authentic brand
1:09:00 – Culture, community, and scaling values worldwide
1:13:00 – Rapid fire: best advice, resilience, and measuring life

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#DivotPodcast #Leadership #Entrepreneurship #Resilience #BusinessGrowth #BrandBuilding #WorkLifeBalance #PersonalGrowth #CommunityBuilding #Success #Traeger #Skullcandy