The Next Big Thing

Tara Button had an idea of a website and community that put a spotlight on long lasting products and true consumer satisfaction first - and that idea stalked her until she had to create it and launch it for the world to utilize. Her site is Buy Me Once, and it is completely changing not only how consumers find products that are built to last, but how companies are realizing that repair and a warranty are two criteria that are moving up the list for most shoppers. Tara joins Sam to talk about how she saw the need for Buy Me Once, how they changed their business model to now sell directly to consumers, and her advice for building a community around your website. She also gives us a few of her favorite brands featured on Buy Me Once, and how to know when you are really getting quality items. What You Will Discover This Week: In a world of paid reviews and wanting everything quickly on demand, it can get confusing to know where to shop and what products will last the test of time. Tara talks about why products are meant to break physically along with stylewise, and how it is time for that to change. What Buy Me Once is, and Tara knew there was nothing of it’s kind and greatly needed in the consumer world. The less we have to buy things, the more we save money for ourselves and keep our environment clean. What Tara thinks the future is for the Right to Repair Act and companies including life cycle labeling and more transparency about how long their products really will last. Why Tara decided to change the business model of Buy Me Once from affiliate marketing to selling directly out of their warehouse. Some of her favorite brands and recommendations both in and beyond Buy Me Once. Who to really seek honest reviews from instead of basing everything off Amazon. Mentioned: https://buymeonce.com/ (Buy Me Once ) https://www.lecreuset.com/ (Le Creuset )

Most of us have visited one of the many now popular fast casual restaurants and enjoyed the great quality and affordable food ready in a short amount of time. For Sam, her first Chipotle trip is still a great memory, and she was curious and excited to find out that Liz Giorgi was replicating that model and applying it to content creation. Liz joins the show to talk about Soona Studios and how they are changing the game on content delivery, photoshoots, and creative content delivery time. Liz shares how she and her creative soul partner Hayley came up with the idea for Soona while on a hike in Joshua Tree, how clients of all types can benefit from Soona’s offerings, and how they pivoted through challenges throughout the pandemic. What You Will Discover This Week: Soona makes it possible to get professional photos and videos from wherever you are, and also have you attend a real-time shoot virtually. Soona also has a la carte options, which makes it super easy to create content for E-commerce, Amazon, social media, or traditional campaigns. Liz explains how she discovered there was a need in the market for fast-casual content creation. Liz’s advice for working with a business partner — even better if it’s your creative soul mate! Need to brainstorm some ideas and get the creativity moving? Go for a walk! More about the camera to cloud technology that Soona uses to provide flexibility and high quality. Finding your point of view as a business is everything. Liz’s mission is to create a great opportunity and legacy for those around her. If you are a busy entrepreneur, it’s okay to have downtime and relaxing, peaceful hobbies. How Liz goes to where their customers are instead of feeling pressure to advertise like a traditional business. Mentioned: https://soona.co/ (Soona) https://instagram.com/soonastudios (@soonastudios) https://news.stanford.edu/2014/04/24/walking-vs-sitting-042414/ (Stanford study on walking boosting creativity)

Tatiana Boncompagni is the founder of Eat Sunny, a meal delivery service that focuses on organic and chef-prepared delicious meals that are a complete game-changer when it comes to convenience and health. She joins Sam on the show to talk about how she pivoted from her work as a veteran wellness and beauty writer and used that experience to build Eat Sunny. Tatiana opens up about some of the challenges she faced when launching Eat Sunny, and how the company empowers its customers by allowing them to thrive with meals that provide all the flexibility in the world with no compromise on taste. What You Will Discover This Week: Eat Sunny isn’t your typical meal delivery service. It is thoughtfully crafted to provide organic and super nutritious seasonal meals that can also be frozen and saved for later. Tatiana is a customer first. She discusses why she loves the Mediterranean diet as a lifestyle, and how Eat Sunny was made for sustainability and ease. Eat Sunny, as a company, seeks to empower women, give them confidence, and help make healthy eating even easier. Tatiana is proud of Eat Sunny and where the company is now, but they certainly had to overcome some challenges. How Tatiana shifted from being a veteran journalist writing for many top magazines to deciding she wanted to launch and maintain a bootstrap company. Why Tatiana chose these three values for the meals that Eat Sunny provides: boosting immunity, boosting beauty, and providing immense satisfaction. More behind the Eat Sunny brilliant branding to make you feel bright, natural, and comfortable. As Tatiana knows from her magazine days, images matter! Eat Sunny has made a commitment to help their community at all times, but now more than ever while we are in the middle of the pandemic. Mentioned: https://eatsunny.com/ (Eat Sunny) https://www.instagram.com/eatsunnylife/ (Eat Sunny Instagram)

Cole Baker-Bagwell has a mission to make the world a little more kind and to show that it is not only an extra cherry on top of a sundae at work but actually the foundation of what makes a company productive and effective. Cole is a Chief Experience Architect and host of the Kindness Think Tank podcast. She embraces her inner Kindness Nerd and joins Sam to talk about how we can be more thoughtful in our interactions, three practical ways we can be kinder today, and how we can still foster connection while still working from home. What You Will Discover This Week: Brands and companies that modify their culture to be more kind achieve bigger results. Kindness is still very much a work in progress in Corporate America. We have forgotten that outcomes are created by human beings. Honoring yourself and what you need is a form of kindness. Turn on that Zoom camera every now and then! Making eye contact and seeing each other in human form is very important, even if it’s virtual for now. Cole took her experience in sales and strategy and used it as a cornerstone to show that no matter what you are doing in business, it’s always about people and building authentic two-way relationships. We are all born to be compassionate, collaborative, and generous. We can be emotionally intelligent but not kind, and often it’s just about making space for ourselves or for others to pause a moment and choose kindness. Kindness leads to trust, which brings more collaboration and more productivity. The three practical ways to be more kind that will also help you cultivate self-awareness. Mentioned: Cole Baker-Bagwell: https://coolaudrey.com/ (Website) | https://www.instagram.com/kindnessthinktank/ (@kindnessthinktank) | https://www.linkedin.com/in/colebakerbagwell/ (LinkedIn) | https://coolaudrey.com/podcast (Kindness Think Tank)

Ever since Sam laid eyes on the Legally Addictive packaging, she knew it was crucial to meet Laura Shafferman, the founder and creator behind the delicious and oh so creative cookie. She shares the idea behind Legally Addictive cookies, providing tried and true ingredients in a clever cracker delivery style, and more about how this Brooklyn-based company launched in only three weeks. Laura talks about her journey from Real Estate to being an entrepreneur and gives advice to others looking to launch a brand in the space. What You Will Discover This Week: How Laura came up with the super clever title for Legally Addictive, and the story behind the salted and sweet cracker/cookie treat. The steps Laura took to pivot away from Real Estate and into being an entrepreneur. Laura started making this delicious product herself in her home kitchen, and now they have expanded to many retail stores and an impressive e-commerce shop. Not all businesses can come up with a concept and launch in three weeks, but Laura did! Legally Addictive listens to their customers and really takes into heart what they do want, and what may not be a fit for their taste buds. How Laura created an environment for her team where everyone feels comfortable, heard, and safe. What it has been like scaling in both online commerce and retail. Laura’s advice for launching a brand in a similar space, and some tips on how to make friends with your local retailer and first get featured in your neighborhood. Yes, branding and your packaging can be even more important than your product, especially when there is so much competition! Three of the main character traits that greatly help with success as an entrepreneur: persistence, flexibility, and connectivity. Mentioned: https://legallyaddictivefoods.com/ (Legally Addictive) https://www.dylanscandybar.com/ (Dylan’s Candy Bar) https://foxtrotco.com/ (Foxtrot)

Sandra, the founder and CEO of Nopalera, had a mission to make a bath and beauty product that celebrated the Latin culture and displayed the colorful and rich nature of Mexico. She is a true success story, now in 50 stores and a family of Instagram followers and devoted beauty users. She joins Sam this week to talk about why the Nopal cactus is of great use for beauty, how she came up with the idea for a Nopal based bath and beauty brand, and the importance of using your branding and marketing to convey a story of what the brand is and who exactly it’s for. What You Will Discover This Week: Why Sandra decided to build Nopalera to pay homage to her heritage and celebrate the Latin culture. Tips for people looking to start and build a brand in the bath and beauty space. The Nopal Cactus is a cultural symbol great for multiple uses and is very sustainable and cleansing. It wasn’t always Sandra’s plan to be an entrepreneur! She has a background in music and has toured the world playing. The people that helped out with the beautiful packaging and photography. How Sandra enrolled in a botanical school to get into a place where she was truly educated about what is (and isn’t!) in her Mexican botanical line. What Sandra has learned since launching on November 2, 2020. When you launch a brand, you must really understand your margins and the math behind your sales. Mentioned: Nopalera: https://www.instagram.com/nopalera.co/?hl=en (Instagram) | https://nopalera.co/ (Website) | https://www.beautyindependent.com/nopalera-new-premium-bath-body-care-brand-proudly-celebrating-latin-culture/ (Beauty Independent Article ) https://formulabotanica.com/ (Formula Botanica ) https://www.amandalopezphoto.com/ (Amanda Lopez Photography)

Jordan Scott, Founder of the Cobble and IDK Tonight apps, joins the show this week. Jordan is a visionary and entrepreneur, and she uses her experience to both encourage others and educate them on how much work it really takes to launch an app. Jordan shares how she saw the need for a service that helped couples plan experiences, lessen indecision, and provide an answer to that age-old question, “I don’t know, what do you want to do?” Sam and Jordan also talk about how Cobble has successfully pivoted during the pandemic, how they are growing and widening their audience, and the integration between both the Cobble and IDK Tonight apps. What You Will Discover This Week: What Jordan’s experience was like leaving the corporate world to become an entrepreneur. Her advice for people wanting to start and launch an app. Jordan is very open about what worked and didn’t work for her, so others could learn both from her successes and challenges. More about her first company, IDK Tonight, and how it provided a solution for couples in the New York area who needed ideas for keeping their dates fun and fresh. How Jordan and her teams have pivoted during the pandemic to add virtual events and at-home ideas, also while expanding the outdoor dining options. A little more about how Cobble works and has the same mechanisms as a dating site, just with the swipes leading to activities and ideas rather than people! Soon you will be able to Cobble with your friends and family, not just romantic partners. The importance of taking a break. Don’t underestimate the power of a 20-minute nap! The biggest challenges Jordan has overcome while developing and launching both apps. Don’t be intimated! If other people can build an app, so can you! Just get ready for some hard work. Mentioned: https://www.trycobble.com/ (Cobble ) https://idktonight.com/ (IDK Tonight ) https://www.notion.so/?utm_source=googleandutm_campaign=12263085569andutm_medium=118856646913andutm_content=495341253993andutm_term=notion%20note%20appandtargetid=kwd-664489245295andgclid=CjwKCAiA65iBBhB-EiwAW253W_vYj1VG_NKf1JVbV6r9bMFDwcMtaP1JohXXU4rdRDb6UFJnBCKpahoC2uYQAvD_BwE (Notion ) https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46473/if--- (Rudyard Kipling - “If” )

Everyone is talking about the Clubhouse app. Is it the next big social networking tool? Is it going to overtake Instagram or TikTok? Is it even worth joining ANOTHER platform when all of these social media apps feel overwhelming? Today, host Sam Ogborn gives you the inside scoop on the app - how it works, why you should join, what the future advertising model could potentially look like, and more. If you've wanted to download the app but have been putting it off, let this episode serve as the nudge you need to try it out for yourself. Email Sam for an invite (limited quantity, first come first serve): hello@thenextbigthingpodcast.com

Did you race into 2021, or did you take time to gut-check how you want to be efficient and productive in 2021? Fellow podcaster, former colleague, and project management industry leader Jennie Crichlow joins Sam to discuss tweaks founders and entrepreneurs can make to increase their efficiency and effectiveness in their day-to-day lives. In addition, Jennie also shares her tips on relationship-building and the importance of tapping into emotional intelligence in the workplace. Find Jennie on Twitter: @JenCrichlow Find Jennie on Clubhouse: @jencrichlow Catch Jennie's Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/let-me-back-up/id1533595497 Email us: hello@thenextbigthingpodcast.com

Are you serving your customers in a way that leaves them feeling more connected to the brand and more inclined to stay loyal to you in the long run? Sasha Canady, owner and founder of Servant Marketing, joins Sam this week to discuss why it’s crucial now, more than ever to lead with the intention to serve rather than to sell. Sasha talks about what Servant Marketing is, how it helps brands navigate the new challenges of a consumer-centered market, and why she left corporate culture to forge her own path. Sasha and Sam also discuss slimy and click-bait oriented marketing tactics that don’t work, and provide resources for you to get started with the powerful tool of Servant Marketing today.