

Open Residency
Open Residency
Hosted by Mark Brazil, co-founder of IKONICK, Open Residency dives deep into the minds of true operators—the individuals who are the last line of defense in their business. Each conversation offers a glimpse into the operator’s playbook, sharing real-world insights from those who’ve navigated the toughest challenges in business. Whether you’re an entrepreneur or a leader, this podcast is a must-listen for actionable lessons.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jan 21, 2025 • 1h 22min
Dee Murthy - The Strategy to Raise $95M & Transform Retail
What does it take to secure $95 million and revolutionize an industry? Let’s find out.
This episode features Dee Murthy - the founder behind Ghost, the brand who’s revolutionizing how businesses handle excess inventory.
From building a successful apparel brand to hosting 907 episodes of his own podcast, this conversation covers the full spectrum of his entrepreneurial journey. We dive deep into:
• Raw lessons from nearly a decade of podcasting
• The untold stories of his fundraising journey
• Why picking the right investors can make or break you
• The real challenges nobody talks about
This conversation goes deep into what it really takes to scale a venture-backed company.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
00:22 Lessons from 907 Podcast Episodes
02:15 Leveraging Podcasting in Business
03:56 Launching the Podcast: Early Days and Growth
06:08 Building an Audience and Content Strategy
10:57 The Importance of Niching Down
13:41 Podcast Learnings
15:52 Avoiding Burnout and Maintaining Relevance
20:19 Introducing Ghost: A Marketplace Solution
30:23 The Future of Retail and Distribution
37:18 Fundraising Journey: From Idea to Seed Round
44:03 Fundraising Challenges
46:06 Building the Business from Scratch
49:09 Pivoting to a B2B Marketplace
51:25 Navigating the Venture Capital Landscape
01:09:41 Hiring and Company Culture
01:15:01 Lightning Round and Final Thoughts
Get in touch in the comments below or head to:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/openresidency/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markmastrandrea/
Website: https://openresidency.com/
Contact: info@openresidency.com
Guest: Dee Murthy
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deemurthy/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deemurthy/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/deemurthy
Website: https://ghst.io/
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Note from Mark:
If you landed on this page, I just wanted to thank you. This is the first episode of a new chapter that I am very excited about ! All feedback is greatly welcomed in the comments. I will read, respond and look to get better accordingly. I am going to continue to search for business operators that I am interested in and share my learnings with everyone. If you got any value from this episode, sharing it with a friend would mean a lot. Hope you enjoy! - Mark