

Wild Business Growth
Max Branstetter
Wild ideas. Wild growth. Every Wednesday morning a new entrepreneur shares the wildly creative and unusual ways they grew their business - and teaches you how to do it, too. Hear the minds behind WordPress, Stacy's Pita Chips, Drybar, NFL RedZone, Big Mouth Billy Bass, the voice of Bart Simpson, and more Wild stories. Hosted by Max Branstetter, Founder and Podcast Producer at MaxPodcasting
Episodes
Mentioned books

Dec 10, 2025 • 57min
#352: Jason Liebig – Candy Historian, Collecting Candy
Jason Liebig, the Candy Historian and TV Consultant & Storyteller, joins the show to share his journey from DC Comics & Marvel Comics to becoming the leading expert on candy, snacks, and nostalgia for shows like Stranger Things and Mad Men. Hear how to get good at collecting things, the top candy entrepreneurship stories, which candies are related to each other, the most unusual candies in history, and the most creative use of chocolate. Connect with Jason at CollectingCandy.com, on social media @CollectingCandy, and on LinkedIn

Dec 4, 2025 • 43min
#351: Fran Maier – BabyQuip, Match.com
Fran Maier, the Founder & CEO of BabyQuip and Co-Founder of Match.com, joins the show to share her journey from starting the 1st online dating site to creating the #1 baby gear rental service for traveling families. Hear how to keep your business simple, how to build a business powered by moms, how BabyQuip started partnering with Vrbo, how to define your ideal customer avatar, and the best things to do in Santa Fe. Connect with Fran at BabyQuip.com and on LinkedIn

Nov 26, 2025 • 48min
#350: Emma Weinberg – Buttah
Emma Weinberg, the Co-Founder of Buttah and Best Maid of Honor in History, joins the show for a very special family edition during Thanksgiving week to be interviewed by her cousin's husband, Max Branstetter. Hear how she met her husband Ben from across the pond, her manufacturing trips to Turkey, how she successfully teased Buttah's first drop, the best memories from skiing in Stratton, and the New York vs. London Edition of Rapid-Fire Q&A. Connect with Emma at ButtahLondon.com, on Instagram & TikTok @ButtahLondon, and on Instagram @EmmaGWein

Nov 19, 2025 • 44min
#349: Jamie Sonneville – 5th-Generation Farmer, Agri-Trak
Jamie Sonneville, the Founder & CEO of Agri-Trak, joins the show to share her journey from 5th-generation farmer to creating the farm labor tracking software. Hear what many people get wrong about farmers, what to do in your Pre-MVP stage, how to stop doing things the way you've always done them, The Apple Segment, and why Wegmans has such a diehard following. Connect with Jamie at Agri-Trak.com and on LinkedIn

Nov 14, 2025 • 39min
#348: Donna Letier – Gardenuity, Patio Gardens & Desktop Gardens
Donna Letier, the Co-Founder & CEO of Gardenuity, joins the show to share her journey from learning the science behind gardening to creating patio container gardens & indoor desktop gardens for all. Hear why gardening is good for your mental health, how she started offering food-inspired gardens, what to look for in potential employees, what she's learned from her daughter Jillian, and Donna's fondest memory from the outdoors of Alaska. Connect with Donna at Gardenuity.com and on LinkedIn

Nov 5, 2025 • 44min
#347: Christa Pitts – The Elf on the Shelf, The Lumistella Company
Christa Pitts, the Co-Founder & Co-CEO of The Lumistella Company, joins the show to share her journey from QVC host to creating The Elf on the Shelf. Hear how The Elf on the Shelf came to life, the moments that made it a hit, how to handle rejection as an entrepreneur, how she achieves work-life balance with her identical twin sister Co-CEO, and how to get better on camera. Connect with Christa at ElfOnTheShelf.com, Lumistella.com, ChristaPitts.com, ChandaBell.com, and on LinkedIn

Oct 16, 2025 • 41min
#346: Scott Porter – San Diablo Artisan Churros, Chief Churro Officer
Scott Porter, the Owner, Founder, and Chief Churro Officer of San Diablo Artisan Churros, joins the show to share his journey from starting an airline to revolutionizing the world of churros. Hear how he fell in love with churros, the secret recipe that changed everything, how to come up with new product ideas, how he got Charles Barkley to try his churros, and his 3 dream tacos. Connect with Scott at SanDiabloChurros.com, on Instagram & TikTok @SanDiabloChurros, and on LinkedIn

Oct 9, 2025 • 50min
#345: Goldie Chan – Personal Branding for Introverts, Warm Robots
Goldie Chan, the Founder of Warm Robots and Author of Personal Branding for Introverts, joins the show to share her journey from posting one of the first videos on LinkedIn to becoming The Oprah of LinkedIn and The Queen of Uncool. Hear how to create content for brands & personal brands, how to carve out Off-Brain Time, how to practice Ideal Daydreaming, what sea monkeys actually are, and why Goldie colored her hair green. Connect with Goldie on LinkedIn, on Instagram @GoldieCylon, and get her book at GoldieChan.com/Book

Sep 24, 2025 • 54min
#344: Rob Herzog – ZogSports & ZogCulture, Sports Leagues for Adults
Rob Herzog, the Founder of ZogSports & ZogCulture, joins the show to share his journey from a close call on 9/11 to connecting millions of adults through sports leagues in 6 major cities. Hear the Piña Colada Epiphany that changed Rob's life, how to meet increased demand for your product or service, the Building Block Strategy for adding clients & partners, how to adjust to new chapters in life, and the time Bill Murray showed up at one of their kickball games. Connect with Rob on LinkedIn and at ZogSports.com, ZogCulture.com, and VoloSports.com

Sep 17, 2025 • 41min
#343: Amanda Lacy – Bijou Build, Creative Outdoor Play Structures
Amanda Lacy, the Founder of Bijou Build, joins the show to share her journey from designing toys to creating the revolutionary outdoor play structure for ages 3-103. Hear how to make a modular product, how to design child-safe toys, how to inspire user-generated content aka UGC, fun facts about moss, and the best tapa in Barcelona. Connect with Amanda at BijouBuild.com and on Instagram & Facebook @BijouBuild


