SE8 EP01: Mid-Day Squares: The Power of Personal Branding and Storytelling for digital-first CPG Brands w/ Jake Karls

This episode features a special guest, Jake Karls, co-founder and face of the fast-growing good-for-you CPG confectionary brand, Mid-Day Squares. Jake, along with his sister Lezlie Karls and brother-in-law Nick Saltarelli, are known for sharing their entrepreneurial journey on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, giving customers a unique behind-the-scenes look at building a business.

With sales on track to hit $17 million by the end of their fiscal year in May 2023, more than double what they did in 2021, Mid-Day Squares aims to be a modern chocolate company with functional ingredients, a challenger brand, AND a disruptor to the 140 Billion dollar chocolate industry.

Listen in as we discuss Jake's journey from overcoming low grades, business failures, and rejection upon rejection to building a 96% automated factory and raising $16.7 million in investment to set the foundation for Mid-Day Squares' rapid growth trajectory.

Mid-Day Squares is on a mission to be a modern chocolate company with functional ingredients. More than that, they’re on a mission to build a community of fans rather than just customers, and it’s having powerful results for their business. Stay tuned to learn how Jake and his Co-Founders at Mid-Day Squares are doing it, and uncover insights direct from their multi-million dollar brand playbook that you can use to build your own authentic challenger brand – even in a hyper-competitive billion-dollar industry.

One thing that is evident about Jake is he's not afraid to fail, and even when his first business didn't work out, he kept pushing forward – and he puts it all out there for the world to see. From studying to be an actuary to dropping out and starting a fitness business to ultimately co-founding Mid-Day Squares – Jake’s story is a fascinating and unorthodox one that you won’t want to miss. It’s a story, and the authenticity behind it, that Jake, along with his sister and brother-in-law, have used to build a media empire around Mid-Day Squares. There are some powerful lessons here for Founders and eCommerce professionals about the impact storytelling, and social media can have on your brand if you can have the courage to stand out and set yourself apart. All this comes down to the powerful ways of thinking and mindsets that Jake has developed through the good times and the bad. You will notice that the mindset of an eCommerce professional will be a key theme not only in this podcast but in the 2x eCommerce podcast throughout 2023. Mindset is what makes the tactics that we cover here in the 2x eCommerce podcast every episode work in what is a cross-functional and sometimes rowdy retail environment. It is the foundation, the driving force behind an entrepreneur's ability to create, innovate, and commit to bold, industry-disrupting visions. And Jake has it in spades. I have no doubt that you'll leave this episode feeling inspired and fired up to bring the same ingredients that Jake brings to Mid-Day Squares to your own business. So without further ado, let’s get started!

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SPONSORS:

This episode is brought to you by:

Klaviyo

This episode is brought to you by Klaviyo – a growth marketing platform that powers over 25,000 online businesses. Direct-to-Consumer brands like ColourPop, Huckberry, and Custom Ink rely on Klaviyo.

Klaviyo helps you own customer experience and grow high-value customer relationships right from a shopper’s first impression through to each subsequent purchase, Klaviyo understands every single customer interaction and empowers brands to create more personalized marketing moments.

Find out more on klaviyo.com/2x.

Gorgias
 
This episode is brought to you by Gorgias, the leading helpdesk for Shopify, Magento and BigCommerce merchants.

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Recharge

This episode is brought to you by Recharge, the leading subscriptions payment solution for Shopify merchants.

Recharge helps eCommerce merchants of all sizes launch and scale subscription offerings. Recharge powers the growth of over 15,000 subscription merchants and their communities—turning one-time transactions into long-term customer relationships.

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Find out more on rechargepayments.com/2x.