The Story of a Brand

This episode is brought to you by Sendlane.   Parker says, “we're really focused on cognitive health. Some of these mushrooms can have really incredible, really impressive medicinal value for basically maintaining really clean and positive cognitive health, but also helping improve cognitive health. So whether it is memory or mental energy like processing capability. On a fundamental level, they're really helping your central nervous system, primarily in your brain, to prune and also grow your neurons. So it's almost acting as like neural food.”   Today, we interview Parker Olsen, Founder of Forij. Forij is loaded with brain nutrients, their functional granola delivers serious brain power. And their taste is award-winning; all without any of the high sugar or fake ingredients.   We discussed:    * What he’s grateful for * Revisiting Parker’s personal why and what drives him * Experiencing “ego death” and learning that the “obstacle is truly the way” * Challenges of the brand including margin erosion, less capital expenditures, debt capital, economies of scale, and making a pivot * A breakdown of the new product - functional granola bars and their ingredients & flavors * His blog and the hundreds of articles on mushroom, brain health, and all the other benefits * And so much more…    Join Ramon Vela and Parker Olsen as we break down the inside story of Forij on The Story of a Brand.   For more on Forij, visit: https://www.forij.co/   Subscribe and listen to the podcast on all major apps. Simply search for “The Story of a Brand” on your favorite podcast player.   *   This episode is brought to you by Sendlane.   Here’s the deal: I have a gift for you from our primary sponsor — Sendlane. They’re giving away their online course eCommerce Academy - Email & SMS Marketing!   This course gives you the step-by-step playbook to drive more revenue and retention with email & SMS. This is typically a $500 package, but for our listeners, it’s entirely FREE when you get started with your FREE 14-day trial of Sendlane.    When you do, chat with their support team and let them know you’re one of our listeners to get full access to hours of course content that will help you make email marketing your #1 growth engine.   Visit https://storybrandgift.com to get the details, sign up for a free trial and get your gift!

This episode is brought to you by Sendlane.   Today, we interview Dan Zavorotny, Co-Founder & COO of Nutrisense. Nutrisense is a platform focused on improving metabolic health. Their mission is to help anybody discover and reach their health potential.    Their members discover the perfect diet for their unique bodies by tracking key metabolic markers in real-time. They leverage powerful hardware (CGM, Ketone Meters, etc), software, and a team of expert dietitians to enable lasting behavior change.   We discussed:    * What he’s grateful for  * How mentors help you reduce your failure when you’re a startup * Why experience gives you pattern recognition (and what is it) * How layoff should occur and why should hire slowly * Why you should hire failed founders * Overview and origin of Nutrisense * Why this mission is important to Dan and why he wanted to do something for the world * How he started selling * How they started to scale quickly (brief story of how their revenue grew) * The three parts of Nutrisense: analytics, glucose monitor and health practitioners * Why so much of the world is pre-diabetic * Why if you want to know who you are and what works for you ~ see the data * The difference between Nutrisense and Fitbit * Advice, make sure you want to change * It’s really an education & accountability tool * And so much more…     Join Ramon Vela and Dan Zavorotny as we break down the inside story of Nutrisense on The Story of a Brand.   For more on Nutrisense, visit: https://www.nutrisense.io/   Subscribe and listen to the podcast on all major apps. Simply search for “The Story of a Brand” on your favorite podcast player.   *   This episode is brought to you by Sendlane.   Here’s the deal: I have a gift for you from our primary sponsor — Sendlane. They’re giving away their online course eCommerce Academy - Email & SMS Marketing!   This course gives you the step-by-step playbook to drive more revenue and retention with email & SMS. This is typically a $500 package, but for our listeners, it’s entirely FREE when you get started with your FREE 14-day trial of Sendlane.    When you do, chat with their support team and let them know you’re one of our listeners to get full access to hours of course content that will help you make email marketing your #1 growth engine.   Visit https://storybrandgift.com to get the details, sign up for a free trial and get your gift!

This episode is brought to you by Sendlane.   Elizabeth says, “At the end of the day, one of the things that we take so much pride in is, this is not a meat imitator. This is just a whole food, real food, veggie burger. And everything in there are ingredients from the earth, not from a lab.”   Today, we interview Elizabeth Raymond, Co-Founder of NoBull Burger. NoBull Burger, is the TRUE veggieburger, and is a handcrafted, 100% plant-based veggieburger that takes pride in using premium ingredients to make an exceptionally tasting, whole-food veggieburgers.   We discussed:    * What she’s grateful for * Origin Story and Overview of NoBull Burger and their values * Their biggest challenges in past and present * Advice for other CPG founders * Their focus on Mental Health * Their personal story with Mental Health and how they use the brand as a platform to help others * Understanding your self worth as a founder of a CPG brand * The state of nutritional psychology and how NoBull Burger fits in * A breakdown of ingredients and products * Where to buy this amazing product (Ramon’s words) * And so much more…    Join Ramon Vela and Elizabeth Raymond as we break down the inside story of No Bull Burger on The Story of a Brand.   For more on NoBull Burger, visit: https://nobullburger.com/   Subscribe and listen to the podcast on all major apps. Simply search for “The Story of a Brand” on your favorite podcast player.   *   This episode is brought to you by Sendlane.   Here’s the deal: I have a gift for you from our primary sponsor — Sendlane. They’re giving away their online course eCommerce Academy - Email & SMS Marketing!   This course gives you the step-by-step playbook to drive more revenue and retention with email & SMS. This is typically a $500 package, but for our listeners, it’s entirely FREE when you get started with your FREE 14-day trial of Sendlane.    When you do, chat with their support team and let them know you’re one of our listeners to get full access to hours of course content that will help you make email marketing your #1 growth engine.   Visit https://storybrandgift.com to get the details, sign up for a free trial and get your gift!

This episode is brought to you by Sendlane.   Lauren says, “we built rituals around our wellness tech to really amplify the benefits of the wellness tech and create an amazing experience for people at home that they want to do over and over again because the more you do it, the more benefits you're gonna get, the better you're gonna feel.”   Today, we interview Lauren Berlingeri, Co-Founder of Higher Dose.  Higher Dose cultivates the hottest at-home wellness tools using nature-inspired technologies to release a DOSE of feel-good chemicals — AKA, Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin, and Endorphins — that elevate your mood, promote a healthy glow, support long-term health benefits, and lift your spirit.   We discussed:    * What she’s grateful for * How her raising her kids is more challenging than business * Her health issues and how it impacted her life and business * Lauren’s background and overview of Higher Dose * Creating content for longevity, her YouTube series * Developing rituals for people to do at home * Why people want a sauna experience at home & launching the Sauna Blanket  * Benefits of Sauna for your health and engaging your “healing state” * How to use and clean your sauna blanket * The benefits of red light therapy * Solving what their customers are asking for * Adopting a healthy lifestyle through rituals * Her favorite bio-hacks * And more…    Join Ramon Vela and Lauren Berlingeri as we break down the inside story of Higher Dose on The Story of a Brand.   For a 15% off Higher Dose products, use STORY15   For more on Higher Dose, visit: https://higherdose.com/   Their YouTube series, Biohack-Hers: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtt3Vc8Sfqz2rWmxlkgDdcqUJp4fkWY1v   Subscribe and listen to the podcast on all major apps. Simply search for “The Story of a Brand” on your favorite podcast player.   *   This episode is brought to you by Sendlane.   Here’s the deal: I have a gift for you from our primary sponsor — Sendlane. They’re giving away their online course eCommerce Academy - Email & SMS Marketing!   This course gives you the step-by-step playbook to drive more revenue and retention with email & SMS. This is typically a $500 package, but for our listeners, it’s entirely FREE when you get started with your FREE 14-day trial of Sendlane.    When you do, chat with their support team and let them know you’re one of our listeners to get full access to hours of course content that will help you make email marketing your #1 growth engine.   Visit https://storybrandgift.com to get the details, sign up for a free trial and get your gift!

This episode is brought to you by Sendlane.   Steve and Jamie say, “Your mouth health is directly connected to your gut and mind health. Especially your gut. You have people spending a ton of money on probiotics and if they're not taking care of their mouth health, they could be completely out of balance.”   Today, we interview Steve Thorp and Jamie Collins, Co-Founders of Before. Before is a custom dentist-approved formula made with clean ingredients and packaged in a 100% recyclable plant-based tube.    We discussed:    * What they are grateful for * The idea, origin, and overview of Before * The opportunity in oral care and wellness * What both founders never expected on their entrepreneurial journey * Why accessibility and price point are important to them * Avoiding the petroleum and aluminum lining that competitors use in their tubes * Their focus on clean ingredients, sustainability and plant-based  * How gut health and oral health are connected * The 2023 Men’s Health Winner for Best Tooth Paste * A breakdown of their products * Advice for other Founders * And more…    Join Ramon Vela, Steve Thorp and Jamie Collins as we break down the inside story of Before on The Story of a Brand.   For more on Before, visit: https://beforecompany.com/   Subscribe and listen to the podcast on all major apps. Simply search for “The Story of a Brand” on your favorite podcast player.   *   This episode is brought to you by Sendlane.   Here’s the deal: I have a gift for you from our primary sponsor — Sendlane. They’re giving away their online course eCommerce Academy - Email & SMS Marketing!   This course gives you the step-by-step playbook to drive more revenue and retention with email & SMS. This is typically a $500 package, but for our listeners, it’s entirely FREE when you get started with your FREE 14-day trial of Sendlane.    When you do, chat with their support team and let them know you’re one of our listeners to get full access to hours of course content that will help you make email marketing your #1 growth engine.   Visit https://storybrandgift.com to get the details, sign up for a free trial and get your gift!  

This episode is brought to you by Sendlane.   Ryan says, “Care more about humans. And as much as you think, you care. It's not even close to where you should be. That's what I would say. I think everyone needs to take a very long look at what they're in business for. If you're in business for profits and cash, then you'll never gonna realize the profits and cash that you actually want, because you're just gonna be thinking about yourself.”   Today, we interview Ryan Bartlett, Co-Founder & CEO of True Classic. At True Classic they get it, everybody makes shirts, but not every body is shaped the same. That’s where True Classic comes in. True Classic makes everyday essentials for every type of person. Premium high-quality basics with no gimmicks.   We discussed:    * What’s he grateful for  * How his health concerns changed his life * Asking himself is he raising good humans (about his kids) * Overview and origin of True Classic * Why entrepreneurs need to get used to failing * Think about how you are serving and adding value to the customer * Why, when starting out in business, don’t spend a lot of money * How analysis can cause paralysis * A dark time in the business * Why forecasting is the number one most important thing in business * Advice for other founders * Dealing with family life, your spouse or partner when you’re an entrepreneur * Their upcoming line of women’s clothing * Why their clothing gives their customers confidence   Join Ramon Vela and Ryan Bartlett as we break down the inside story of True Classic on The Story of a Brand.   For more on True Classic, visit: https://www.trueclassictees.com/   Subscribe and listen to the podcast on all major apps. Simply search for “The Story of a Brand” on your favorite podcast player.   *   This episode is brought to you by Sendlane.   Here’s the deal: I have a gift for you from our primary sponsor — Sendlane. They’re giving away their online course eCommerce Academy - Email & SMS Marketing!   This course gives you the step-by-step playbook to drive more revenue and retention with email & SMS. This is typically a $500 package, but for our listeners, it’s entirely FREE when you get started with your FREE 14-day trial of Sendlane.    When you do, chat with their support team and let them know you’re one of our listeners to get full access to hours of course content that will help you make email marketing your #1 growth engine.   Visit https://storybrandgift.com to get the details, sign up for a free trial and get your gift!

This episode is brought to you by Sendlane.   Allie says, “we're exposed to we're exposed to 85,000 chemicals that disrupt our health and hormones. And this is not allowing your body to heal itself, take care of itself, and create this sort of homeostasis that is, a healthy, balanced life that you feel from the inside and see on the outside.”   Today, we interview Allie Egan, Founder & CEO of Veracity Selfcare. Veracity creates a personal selfcare experience based on real data about your hormones and other bio-factors that impact your skin and your health.    We discussed:   * What she’s grateful for  * An overview and origin story for Veracity * Why she is so passionate about this brand: her story * What are hormones, why they’re amazing and why they could be unbalanced * Why doctors are not checking hormone levels * How to get hormones back in balance * Why you need to stop using hormone disruptors (in many products we use) * Their test for general hormonal health * What are the most common issues they see in women * Breakdown of Veracity products including ingredients * Their consultation for hormonal health * And more…    Join Ramon Vela and Allie Egan as we break down the inside story of Veracity Selfcare on The Story of a Brand.   For more on Veracity Selfcare, visit: https://veracityselfcare.com/   Subscribe and listen to the podcast on all major apps. Simply search for “The Story of a Brand” on your favorite podcast player.   *   This episode is brought to you by Sendlane.   Here’s the deal: I have a gift for you from our primary sponsor — Sendlane. They’re giving away their online course eCommerce Academy - Email & SMS Marketing!   This course gives you the step-by-step playbook to drive more revenue and retention with email & SMS. This is typically a $500 package, but for our listeners, it’s entirely FREE when you get started with your FREE 14-day trial of Sendlane.    When you do, chat with their support team and let them know you’re one of our listeners to get full access to hours of course content that will help you make email marketing your #1 growth engine.   Visit https://storybrandgift.com to get the details, sign up for a free trial and get your gift!

This episode is brought to you by Sendlane.   Leland says, “So the authenticity piece, obviously that's really core and central to our brand. One thing that I'm proud of myself and Sarah for doing and holding true to remaining authentic. Because, earlier on when we were trying to raise capital and got a lot of pushbacks on, is Thai a large enough section in the grocery store? Is the market large enough for that? And a lot of investors And other folks pushed us to try to, do something that was more Pan-Asian… and that's not central to our brand.”   Today, we interview Leland Copenhagen, Co-founder of Yais Thai. Created to bring Thai flavors into American households with the twist of a cap. Inspired by his Yai (translation: grandma) and mom's sense of ease in the kitchen, they want to share the joy of connecting over a delicious meal with everyone!   We discussed:    * What he’s grateful for * An overview and origin story of Yais Thai * Seeing the opportunity with heritage products * How the consumer is driving demand for authentic foods * Marriage and running a brand with your spouse * How he handles the mental and emotional aspects of running a brand * A breakdown of the Yais Thai products, including ingredients * Why glass jars? * What are Leland’s favorite sauces (currently) * What he’s most proud of about the brand * Where to buy * and so much more…    Join Ramon Vela and Leland Copenhagen as we break down the inside story of Yais Thai on The Story of a Brand.   For more on Yais Thai, visit: https://www.yaisthai.com/   Subscribe and listen to the podcast on all major apps. Simply search for “The Story of a Brand” on your favorite podcast player.   *   This episode is brought to you by Sendlane.   Here’s the deal: I have a gift for you from our primary sponsor — Sendlane. They’re giving away their online course eCommerce Academy - Email & SMS Marketing!   This course gives you the step-by-step playbook to drive more revenue and retention with email & SMS. This is typically a $500 package, but for our listeners, it’s entirely FREE when you get started with your FREE 14-day trial of Sendlane.    When you do, chat with their support team and let them know you’re one of our listeners to get full access to hours of course content that will help you make email marketing your #1 growth engine.   Visit https://storybrandgift.com to get the details, sign up for a free trial and get your gift!

This episode is brought to you by Sendlane.   Michael says, “We also have a nutritionist, a formula, a flavorist on staff that most brands don't have. And then the next layer is we get to manufacture the product. We control that process, so we have disclosure, we have control into all of that. There's no middleman. That allows us to make the top of the line product with no middleman, no surcharge, no upcharge. We're offering premium formulas, incredible flavors and experiences for market price.”   Today, we interview Michael Yewdell, President of BEAM - Be Amazing. BEAM’s mission is to create superior supplement products. How do they guarantee this? By controlling the entire process. From sourcing and importing the raw ingredients, to an in-house flavor team, down to the manufacturing and production of the final product. They do it all.    We discussed:    * What he’s grateful for * His personal story, his diagnosis & fight with cancer * What keeps him going every day * How cancer changed his life and fueled his mission and products with BEAM * How the owning the entire manufacturing process gives them an edge * A review of new products and customer feedback * Their philanthropic initiatives including raising money for cancer research and funding 500 plus hours of therapy * And more…    Join Ramon Vela and Michael Yewdell as we break down the inside story of BEAM - Be Amazing on The Story of a Brand.   For more on BEAM - Be Amazing, visit: https://youcanbeam.com/   Subscribe and listen to the podcast on all major apps. Simply search for “The Story of a Brand” on your favorite podcast player.   *   This episode is brought to you by Sendlane.   Here’s the deal: I have a gift for you from our primary sponsor — Sendlane. They’re giving away their online course eCommerce Academy - Email & SMS Marketing!   This course gives you the step-by-step playbook to drive more revenue and retention with email & SMS. This is typically a $500 package, but for our listeners, it’s entirely FREE when you get started with your FREE 14-day trial of Sendlane.    When you do, chat with their support team and let them know you’re one of our listeners to get full access to hours of course content that will help you make email marketing your #1 growth engine.   Visit https://storybrandgift.com to get the details, sign up for a free trial and get your gift!

This episode is brought to you by Sendlane.   Jordan says, “My goal is to be evergreen. We use evidence backed research when we're doing any of our formulations. So we can offer someone a medical grade experience, kind of in-office consult, from the comfort of their own couch.”   Today, we interview Jordan Harper, Found, CEO, and Nurse Practitioner of Barefaced.    Barefaced® is a direct to consumer skincare brand dedicated to building relationships, confidence, and knowledge through healthy, beautiful skin. Offering only a rigorously curated collection of skincare products, Barefaced® is the home for those seeking the confidence and calm that comes with fresh, vibrant, healthy skin.   We discussed:    * What she’s grateful for * Raising kids as an entrepreneur * How to live a life of intention * Overview of Barefaced and origin story * Her experience of working with doctors, patients, and giving injections * Why her primary mission is to educate * Caution: there is no miracle one product that solves everything, so don’t get fooled * Why other brands release so many products * Ingredient and formulation philosophy; a breakdown of Barefaced products * Where to start? Start with her blog. * And more…   Join Ramon Vela and Jordan Harper as we break down the inside story of Barefaced on The Story of a Brand.   For more on Barefaced, visit: https://www.barefaced.com/   Subscribe and listen to the podcast on all major apps. Simply search for “The Story of a Brand” on your favorite podcast player.   *   This episode is brought to you by Sendlane.   Here’s the deal: I have a gift for you from our primary sponsor — Sendlane. They’re giving away their online course eCommerce Academy - Email & SMS Marketing!   This course gives you the step-by-step playbook to drive more revenue and retention with email & SMS. This is typically a $500 package, but for our listeners, it’s entirely FREE when you get started with your FREE 14-day trial of Sendlane.    When you do, chat with their support team and let them know you’re one of our listeners to get full access to hours of course content that will help you make email marketing your #1 growth engine.   Visit https://storybrandgift.com to get the details, sign up for a free trial and get your gift!