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Growth & Leadership Lessons from Leading $1B Athletic Greens and $5B Focus Brands with Kat Cole

Jun 9, 2022

Kat Cole, President and COO at Athletic Greens, shares her inspiring journey from Hooters waitress to leading billion-dollar companies. She discusses the authenticity in marketing and the power of partnerships with thought leaders to drive growth. Kat dives into Athletic Greens’ impressive trajectory, highlighting the unique qualities of their flagship product, AG1. She also offers valuable advice for aspiring professionals, emphasizing the importance of curiosity and hard work in carving a successful career path.

36:04

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Episode guests

Kat Cole

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Episode notes

Intro

2min

Athletic Greens: Growth and Innovation

12min

Authenticity in Marketing: Lessons from the Creator Economy

5min

Navigating the Shifts in Marketing and Career Progression Insights

3min

Launching Your Career and Relationships

8min

The Power of Check-Ins in Team Dynamics

3min

In episode #2121, Eric gets together with Kat Cole, President, COO, & Board of Directors at Athletic Greens, to talk about her career, including why she chose to become a key player in the company, and her ten years at Focus Brands. In our conversation, we discuss the mission and values that define Athletic Greens, why their rapid growth rate can be attributed to the merits and quality of their flagship product AG1, and how being bootstrapped has influenced their marketing strategy. Kat unpacks the marketing success they’ve achieved through their long-term partnerships with top thought leaders and creators, and explains why their performance marketing strategy has been more conservative than some might think. She also shares her advice for anyone who wants to pursue a similar career in business and champions the values of being a curious, hard-working student who is willing to go out there and gain experience. Kat has had an incredible career and it was wonderful having her on the show. Tune in to learn more about Athletic Greens, how to customize your marketing, and much more!

TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES:

[00:20] Introducing today’s topic: Growth & Leadership Lessons from Leading $1B Athletic Greens and $5B Focus Brands with Kat Cole.
[01:29] Why Kat chose Athletic Greens for her next chapter.
[02:47] An overview of Athletic Greens and their incredible growth.
[06:22] The high quality of Athletic Greens’ comprehensive flagship product AG1.
[06:54] Why AG1 is more than just a green drink and the marketing challenge this poses.
[07:52] How Chris, the founder of Athletic Greens, helped establish foundational nutrition as a category.
[10:04] Learn what AG1 tastes like and different ways to drink it.
[12:41] A breakdown of Athletic Greens’ marketing strategy.
[13:21] The success they’ve found partnering with creators and influencers.
[14:11] How being largely referral-based made the iOS 14 update less difficult for them.
[14:33] How being a bootstrapped company has affected their marketing strategy.
[15:29] The rapid rate of growth they've experienced, based on the merits of their product.
[18:05] Insights into how marketing is changing.
[19:18] Kat’s advice to anyone who wants to pursue a similar career path.
[24:29] Kat’s monthly process for checking in with her loved ones.
[27:11] How Kat does a similar check-in with her work relationships.
[28:53] Learn where you can find Kat online.
[29:34] That’s it for today! Don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe to this podcast!
[29:41] Go to https://www.marketingschool.io to learn more!