The Foundr Podcast with Nathan Chan

Nikhil Arora and Alejandro Velez started Back to the Roots by asking the same question in their business class–how can you grow mushrooms from used coffee grounds? So instead of taking their jobs in investment baking, the 2 friends began their journey of building an organic gardening brand for the next generation.  Back to the Roots is America’s #1 organic gardening company and doubled its business 4 years in a row. They offer a wide range of grow kits, seeds, soil, and more to empower people to experience the magic of growing their food from inside their homes.  Listen to Nathan chat with Nikhil and Alejandro about:  Walking into a Whole Foods and pitching their first product  Growing their first mushrooms in a rented office space Hitting their first million in revenue off sources of waste Why going to a farmer’s market is the best lesson for business Transitioning from selling products to empowering growers  Navigating the accelerated growth of the industry during COVID-19 Their relationship as cofounders over the past decade  Working with retailers like Home Depot, Target, and Walmart Their “Grow One, Give One” initiative  And much more business scaling advice…   Who do you want to see next on the podcast? Comment and let us know! And don't forget to leave us a 5-star review if you loved this episode. Wait, there's more… If you enjoy the Foundr podcast, check out our free trainings. Get exclusive, actionable advice from some of the world's best entrepreneurs.  For more Foundr content, follow us on your favorite platform:  Foundr.com Instagram YouTube Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Magazine

Toni Ko's first beauty brand, NYX Cosmetics, made $4 million in year 1, and eventually exited to L'Oréal for $500 million. Craving a new purpose, she started a sunglasses business. It failed after 3.5 years—and Ko says it's one of the best things that ever happened to her. Ko's lessons from that "failure" empowered her to launch her third and current venture: Bespoke Beauty Brands, which partners with influencer entrepreneurs on everything from concept creation to product development, marketing, and fulfillment distribution.  Listen to Nathan and Ko discuss:   Being a third-generation entrepreneur of Korean immigrants  The early days of NYX Cosmetics, when she had 6 job titles Raking in $4 million in retail value in NYX's first year Why she's not good at sales  Selling NYX in 2014 for $500 million to L'Oréal Experiencing depression after exiting her business Starting a sunglasses business and failing  Launching Bespoke Beauty Brand  Working with celebrity influencers like Kim Chi and Jason Wu And much more influencer entrepreneur advice…     Who do you want to see next on the podcast? Comment and let us know! And don't forget to leave us a 5-star review if you loved this episode. Wait, there's more… If you enjoy the Foundr podcast, check out our free trainings. Get exclusive, actionable advice from some of the world's best entrepreneurs.  For more Foundr content, follow us on your favorite platform:  Foundr.com Instagram YouTube Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Magazine

Did you know that 74% of Americans say they are more likely to trust someone if they have an established personal brand? If you want to build a personal brand that will influence more people, this episode is for you. So strap in for a step-by-step personal branding crash course from Rory Vaden.  Rory is a speaker, business coach, NY Times best-selling author, and cofounder of Brand Builders Group. He’s worked with clients like Lewis Howes, Luvvie Ajayi, and Rose McGowan to discover what makes them unique and how they can serve others.  Listen to Nathan and Rory discuss: Brand Builders Group national research study on personal branding Why personal branding is the digitization of reputation Why 90% of their clients are people you’ve never heard of The 3 different types of content strategies  Why results x reach = reputation  The 5 ways to monetize a personal brand  How to discover your uniqueness And much more personal branding advice…    Who do you want to see next on the podcast? Comment and let us know! And don't forget to leave us a 5-star review if you loved this episode. Wait, there's more… If you enjoy the Foundr podcast, check out our free trainings. Get exclusive, actionable advice from some of the world's best entrepreneurs.  For more Foundr content, follow us on your favorite platform:  Foundr.com Instagram YouTube Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Magazine

Lisa Bilyeu and her husband built Quest Nutrition into a billion-dollar company, but she never expected to be an entrepreneur and business influencer. But, after years of telling herself that she could only be a stay-at-home wife, Lisa found her self-confidence to help create Quest Nutrition and start her media company, Impact Theory. She now hosts a weekly YouTube show, podcast, and released a book called Radical Confidence, focusing on empowering women in business.  Listen to Nathan and Lisa discuss:  The early days of Quest Nutrition and what worked How their PB&J flavored Quest Bar was created by accident  The decision to sell Quest and invest in Impact Theory How she overcame her fear of public speaking Why she dresses for battle like Wonder Woman Building Impact Theory from home  How to create a “no judgment journal" Tools to combat negative self-talk And much more business mindset advice…  Who do you want to see next on the podcast? Comment and let us know! And don't forget to leave us a 5-star review if you loved this episode. Wait, there's more… If you enjoy the Foundr podcast, check out our free trainings. Get exclusive, actionable advice from some of the world's best entrepreneurs.  For more Foundr content, follow us on your favorite platform:  Foundr.com Instagram YouTube Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Magazine

Daniel Flynn started his mission-driven business with the simple question of “what if?” 13 years later and $13M donated, Thankyou is changing the way suppliers and consumers select products. From the early days of getting “nos” to competing against the world’s biggest consumer brands, Thankyou is now evolving its model to serve more people at a scalable rate.  Listen to Daniel and Nathan discuss: The early days of Thankyou and the naivety of the business world Creating a viral campaign for a pitch meeting with 7/11  The difficulty of running a business that exists to give Launching into competitive product categories  Donating $10M in 2021 from their most profitable year ever Writing his book Chapter One: You Have the Power to Change Stuff  Getting interviewed by President Obama  Visiting Seth Godin’s house And much more mission and business lessons…  Who do you want to see next on the podcast? Comment and let us know! And don't forget to leave us a 5-star review if you loved this episode. Wait, there's more… If you enjoy the Foundr podcast, check out our free trainings. Get exclusive, actionable advice from some of the world's best entrepreneurs.  For more Foundr content, follow us on your favorite platform:  Foundr.com Instagram YouTube Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Magazine

Dee Deng, cofounder of Right Hook, returns to the podcast to discuss his new foundr course Ignite Your Digital Agency. In the new course, Dee will share his blueprints on how to serve a small group of high-paying and happy clients while being highly profitable at the same time. Right Hook is a digital marketing agency that went from zero to $250,000 in profit in its first year of business. Now the agency has over 115 employees across the globe.  Listen to Dee and Nathan discuss:  Step-by-step advice to build your agency from scratch His “sales machine” that attracts quality clients daily His “client delight system” for making your clients love you How to scale your client load and revenue without “breaking” your business How you sign up for a free course taught by Dee And much more agency advice… Want to learn how to turn your 'One Person Shop' into a highly profitable & sustainable digital agency? Sign-up now, to take your business to the next level... https://foundr.com/iyda-fl-varb-sp/?sl=youtube_int_deedeng Who do you want to see next on the podcast? Comment and let us know! And don't forget to leave us a 5-star review if you loved this episode. Wait, there's more… If you enjoy the Foundr podcast, check out our free trainings. Get exclusive, actionable advice from some of the world's best entrepreneurs.  For more Foundr content, follow us on your favorite platform:  Foundr.com Instagram YouTube Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Magazine

Scooter Braun is the music-business mind behind the world’s biggest music stars like Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, and Demi Lovato. Now he’s opening up about his entrepreneurial journey and how he’s reclaimed himself.  Scooter's music career started as a party promoter in Atlanta. After dropping out of college, he worked at So So Def Recordings and eventually started SB Projects. He gave himself 12 months to make it, and that year discovered a 13-year-old Canadian artist named Justin Bieber.  Listen to Nathan and Scooter discuss: His decision to leave So So Def because of the power of social media Why Justin Bieber has made him a better man How Asher Roth’s “I Love College” saved his company from going under  Producing Justin Bieber’s My World EP through friendships and favors Why he works with trustworthy people over great people Why identifying talent like falling in love  How to deal with people disappointing you as a leader How a week at The Hoffman Process changed his life What Jeff Bezos told him he wants to do next And much more honest, entrepreneurial advice…    Who do you want to see next on the podcast? Comment and let us know! And don't forget to leave us a 5-star review if you loved this episode. Wait, there's more… If you enjoy the Foundr podcast, check out our free trainings. Get exclusive, actionable advice from some of the world's best entrepreneurs.  For more Foundr content, follow us on your favorite platform:  Foundr.com Instagram YouTube Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Magazine

In a saturated and notoriously competitive industry, Cameron Falloon used his fitness training experience with celebrities and pro sports teams to start Body Fit Training. BFT's program uses the same fitness strategies Cameron used to train Princess Diana and athletes. Instead of “get fit quick” schemes, BFT uses science, technology, and community to drive positive outcomes at all fitness levels.  Within 5 years, BFT became one of Australia's largest franchises. It was recently acquired for $44M by Xponential Fitness, which is bringing Cameron's fitness philosophies worldwide.   Listen to Nathan and Cameron discuss:  His decision to leave professional sports and start his own business The difference between sports training and the commercial fitness industry  Why it took 2 years to build a proven model for BFT 3 areas of focus that differentiate BFT against the competition  How his former AFL players accidentally became the first BFT franchise owners Selling to publicly-traded Xponential Fitness in 4 weeks Advice on productizing your skills  And more franchise and fitness business advice…   Who do you want to see next on the podcast? Comment and let us know! And don't forget to leave us a 5-star review if you loved this episode. Wait, there's more… If you enjoy the Foundr podcast, check out our free trainings. Get exclusive, actionable advice from some of the world's best entrepreneurs.  For more Foundr content, follow us on your favorite platform:  Foundr.com Instagram YouTube Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Magazine

Tyler Handley and his brother started Inkbox to discover if they could make temporary tattoos better. After a research trip to Panama, a successful Kickstarter campaign, lots of chemistry, and 7 years of brand-building, Inkbox has become standard for semi-permanent tattoos generating $30M in revenue per year. Recently, Bic acquired the brand for $65M, which will help bring Inkbox to an international market and beyond.  Listen to Tyler and Nathan discuss:  How Inkbox started from $10K that a friend inherited Visiting Panamanian tribes who use fruit die in ceremonial body art Why they hired a chemist to extract a molecule The dynamic of working with his brother Braden How they raised $1.2M through a Kickstarter campaign Adding the tattoo customization and working with 650 different artists to create designs  Collaborations with BTS, Post Malone, and poet Rupi Kaur And much more direct-to-consumer startup advice…   Who do you want to see next on the podcast? Comment and let us know! And don't forget to leave us a 5-star review if you loved this episode. Wait, there's more… If you enjoy the Foundr podcast, check out our free trainings. Get exclusive, actionable advice from some of the world's best entrepreneurs.  For more Foundr content, follow us on your favorite platform:  Foundr.com Instagram YouTube Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Magazine

Bobby Hundreds started his entrepreneurial journey by creating a purpose and community through The Hundreds streetwear brand. Now, Bobby is taking his brand culture mindset to the world of NFTs with the project Adam Bomb Squad.  From writing his book This is Not a T-Shirt to building one of the most successful streetwear brands, Bobby continues to have an education-first mindset to his projects. Through Adam Bomb Squad, Bobby invites his community into NFTs with patience, trust, and understanding. So if you're new to (or scared) of crypto and the metaverse, don't worry. Bobby was in your shoes 2 years ago and is ready to bring you along the journey to understanding how NFTs can help elevate your brand.  Listen to Nathan and Bobby discuss:  The validation of seeing his first-ever hoodie worn at the mall Why the best brands act like the best of friends How one confusing Tweet led to an onboarding journey to NFT Why NFTs are the "Trojan Horse" of crypto adoption  Why Adam Bomb Squad launched with a 25,000 collection of NFTs instead of 10,000. Spending 4 months educating The Hundreds community about NFTs before launching their project The unforeseen challenges due to the fast-changing trends and pace of NFT culture  While you'll never have time to build if you don't stop and observe And much more brand and NFT advice...   Who do you want to see next on the podcast? Comment and let us know! And don't forget to leave us a 5-star review if you loved this episode. Wait, there's more… If you enjoy the Foundr podcast, check out our free trainings. Get exclusive, actionable advice from some of the world's best entrepreneurs.  For more Foundr content, follow us on your favorite platform:  Foundr.com Instagram YouTube Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Magazine