Hitting The Mark

From Walmart to Bonobos to running a VC firm that famed investor (and Netscape co-founder) Marc Andreessen invested in that solely funds vice ventures; so any startup others are advised not to invest in (many are even prohibited from investing in) such as gambling, alcohol, sex, cannabis, and nicotine. Not much more needs to be said about my next guest, Catharine Dockery of Vice Ventures, who could not come on in a more timely manner than during this economic downturn where most brands suffer, but her portfolio will strive. Get ready for some fast-talking and a very authentic, hilarious, educating and at one time even shocking episode, one you should not skip.  Learn more about Vice Ventures by following their Instagram accountDue to COVID-19 we are no longer asking for financial support for the show, instead you can now join free mentorship group calls with Fabian to get through this together. Join here.

 My guest today is Sky Zone's President, Jeff Platt, who has grown the beloved indoor trampoline experience founded by his father into more than 200 franchises across the world. I recorded my session with Jeff on March 2nd when life was still relatively normal. Fast forward to today, March 20th, where I record this introduction from a makeshift home studio and all of Sky Zone's locations are closed due to the coronavirus. Just another example of how every entrepreneur today is faced with an unprecedented challenge. It is bittersweet to listen to Jeff, but I urge you to soak up his wisdom, to apply it to your own brand, to follow Sky Zone on social media and to add it to your list of to-do’s to visit one of his indoor trampoline experiences when we are allowed to do so. Learn more about Sky ZoneDue to COVID-19 we are no longer asking for financial support for the show, instead you can now join free mentorship group calls with Fabian to get through this together. Join here.

Many of you know Stacy Madison as the Founder of Stacy’s Pita Chips, a brand she grew from a food-stand to a $65 million dollar company that she sold to Pepsi. She is now launching a new brand, the refrigerated BeBOLD bars. I was beyond thrilled and honored to have Stacy on Hitting The Mark as we were talking about how politics and brands mix, what crucial branding mistakes not to make, how to spread your brand’s message and what branding means to someone like Stacy, who has sold her company for a quarter billion dollars. Learn more about BeBOLD Bars and use the special code 'HTM' for 25% off your first order!Support the show – and get on monthly advisory calls with Fabian (in groups for both creatives as well as entrepreneurs)

Marc Lewis is one of the top attorneys in California, whose San Francisco-based firm is hired by Fortune 100 companies to resolve a wide variety of complex, high-stakes business disputes. Even more interestingly, in addition to his complex commercial litigation practice, he is a passionate advocate for victims of sexual abuse and has created a spinoff brand that can be found at the highly descriptive url sexualabuselawfirm.com. That brand spinoff has a very distinct, very emotional, very convincing tone of voice. I chat with Marc about his two brands and how he tackles them from a branding and marketing perspective without confusing his clients. Learn more about Lewis & LlewellynSupport the show – and get on monthly advisory calls with Fabian (in groups for both creatives as well as entrepreneurs)

Shelly Sun created a company that assists the elderly with expert, compassionate, and personal home care. Her first location was launched in 2002. Since then, she grew BrightStar Care into over 340 franchise locations. Ranked number one franchise by Forbes in the investment level, BrightStar Care made it onto the top 10 on the American Express top 50 fastest-growing women-led companies for multiple years in a row. And Shelly has become a leader in the world of franchise executives. Learn from Shelly how to create a scalable brand that leads with compassion. Learn more about BrightStarSupport the show – and get on monthly advisory calls with Fabian (in groups for both creatives as well as entrepreneurs)

Kate Torgersen is in the niche business of facilitating the overnight shipping of breast milk for business traveling mums, or "Mom Badassery" as she calls it. Kate's story of mom-led innovation and entrepreneurship has been covered in outlets such as the Today Show, TIME, Forbes, People, NPR, and Fortune. Her brand Milk Stork is direct, bold and loved by moms, businesses and the press alike and has been named one of the Most Innovative Companies of 2019 by Fast Company. Today, you will find out why. Learn more about Milk StorkSupport the show – and get on monthly advisory calls with Fabian (in groups for both creatives as well as entrepreneurs) 

In November of 2017, Erica Feucht, pregnant with her first child, started a natural vodka-and whiskey-based (!) deodorant line together with her husband Jason. The product is named Pit Liquor and I fell in love with the quirkiness of the founders and their soon-to-be brand. This is one of the few episodes where I feature a company that is so young that it is hard to call it a brand yet, but I can bet you that I will have them back in a few years and that based on their brand philosophy, brand name, and innovative product, they will turn into a known and beloved brand within the year. We talk about the ups and downs (or may I say 'pitfalls') of starting a company that leads with a provocative product, name, and brand language, and how the husband-wife team stayed true to themselves throughout their entrepreneurial journey. If you enjoyed the Liquid Death episode (catch it if you have not heard it yet!), you will not want to miss Pit Liquor. Insights and plenty of laughs are guaranteed. Learn more about Pit LiquorSupport the show – and get on monthly advisory calls with Fabian (in groups for both creatives as well as entrepreneurs)

To kick off 2020 I have an entrepreneur on Hitting The Mark who knows a thing or two about how to build a brand. From co-founding fantasy sports unicorn startup Fanduel to being left with nothing after their company's $465M acquisition. Today we will dive into Lesley Eccles' brand experiences while chatting about her new startup Relish. It is a fascinating story with - as you may imagine - plenty of branding insights along the way. This conversation with Lesley was both an honor and a delight, as you will be able to tell since it feels much more like a chat rather than an interview. We talk about how to build culture and instill values; about the emotional journey of running a startup; not to blindly trust data as you craft your brand; why every CEO should dedicate time to customer service calls; how to make it through the highest highs and lowest lows of entrepreneurship; how authenticity and sales should be the backbone of every successful startup, …and much more! Learn more about RelishSupport the show and get on monthly brand advisory calls with Fabian

Jeni Britton Bauer is the James Beard Award-Winning pioneer of the artisan ice cream movement. That is right, if you had small-batch ice cream as a culinary experience lately you have her to thank for. Jeni built Jeni’s into a cult brand with dedicated followers and hundreds, if not thousands, of copy cats. To finish this year off having her on this show is truly an early Christmas gift for myself and subsequently to you. We were fighting some sound issues throughout, but in the spirit of the holidays, please try not to focus on those and instead on the story and brand insights from one of the most admired culinary brands today.  Learn more about Jeni'sSupport the show and get on monthly brand advisory calls with Fabian

You may know my next guest from the Capital One credit card ads that she is featured in, or you may be a customer and tribe-member who loves her brand as much as you love her products. Christina Stembel is the widely admired founder and CEO of the quickly growing Farmgirl Flowers brand, an integrity-driven direct to consumer flower shop that is changing an archaic industry by infusing heart and soul. Farmgirl is on track to bring in $32 million this year. On this episode, Christina shares in her outgoing and transparent style how she crafted a beloved brand while being 100% bootstrapped, and not for the lack of trying. You will be surprised that the flower industry is far from being green and that it is yet another business that is run by 'the boys club.' Christina disrupted the industry, and she did so with a brand-first mindset. An episode not to be missed. Learn more about Farmgirl FlowersSupport the show and get on monthly brand advisory calls with Fabian