

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

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

Sep 10, 2025 • 39min
#342: Myles Powell – Myles Comfort Foods, Frozen Meal Pivots
Myles Powell, the Founder & CEO of Myles Comfort Foods, joins the show to share his journey from starting a line of BBQ sauces to pivoting to mac & cheese and getting distribution at Whole Foods and Target. Hear how to rebrand your business, how to create meals for the frozen food aisle, how to increase production as a food brand, how to keep learning as an entrepreneur, and his experience on the Food Network TV show America’s Best Cook. Connect with Myles at MylesComfortFoods.com, on LinkedIn, and on social media @MylesComfortFoods

Sep 3, 2025 • 48min
#341: Jeffrey Gabriel – World Record-Breaking Domain Name Broker, Saw.com
Jeffrey Gabriel, the Founder & CEO of Saw.com, joins the show to share his journey from getting into the domain name broker business to leading the Guinness World Record-breaking sale of Sex dot com and completing over half a billion dollars in transactions. Hear the behind the scenes of the $13 million Sex dot com deal, how domain names are valued, how to get through growing pains as an entrepreneur, what to look for in a domain name, and what the Playboy Mansion is like in real life. Connect with Jeffrey at Saw.com and on LinkedIn

Aug 27, 2025 • 31min
#340: Ted Xenohristos – CAVA, Mediterranean Food Defender
Ted Xenohristos, Co-Founder & Chief Concept Officer of CAVA, shares his inspiring journey from a family restaurant to scaling CAVA to over 400 locations. He discusses maintaining food quality and innovative culinary offerings, ensuring the brand stays fresh while avoiding menu creep. Ted highlights the essence of Greek culture, including beautiful islands and the influence of basketball star Giannis on identity, alongside delicious Mediterranean dishes. He also provides advice for aspiring restaurateurs on passion and the art of hospitality.

Aug 21, 2025 • 40min
#339: Sameer Mehta & Sean Kane – Smash Kitchen, Organic Condiments
Sameer Mehta & Sean Kane, the Co-Founders of Smash Kitchen, join the show to share their journey from building The Honest Company & Casper to modernizing the American pantry with organic condiments at Walmart. Hear how to disrupt a category, how to challenge iconic brands, how they partner with Co-Founder Glen Powell, common misconceptions about celebrity business owners, and the movie Sameer & Sean would star in. Connect with Sameer & Sean on LinkedIn and at SmashKitchen.com

Aug 6, 2025 • 49min
#338: Harry Morton – Podcast Production Visionary, Lower Street
Harry Morton, the Founder & CEO of Lower Street, joins the show to share his journey from getting fired for losing audio files to building the podcast production agency for top brands with a team of over 30 people. Hear how to start a podcast production agency, how to win big brands as clients, how to grow your podcast, how to start a successful video podcast, and what podcasts will look like in 100 years. Connect with Harry at LowerStreet.co, on LinkedIn, and on X @PodcastHarry

Jul 30, 2025 • 42min
#337: Jeff Perera – Jeff’s Bagel Run, Crazy Bagel Flavors
Jeff Perera, the Co-Founder & Vice President of Jeff’s Bagel Run, joins the show to share his journey from being laid off to creating the craziest bagel flavors in the world. Hear how to quickly learn a new skill, how to get used to change as an entrepreneur, how to experiment with new flavors, how to push your industry forward while honoring its past, and his dream bagel flavor. Connect with Jeff at JeffsBagelRun.com, on social media @JeffsBagelRun, and their Jeff's Bagel Run app

Jul 23, 2025 • 45min
#336: Shawn David Nelson – Lovesac, Let Me Save You 25 Years
Shawn David Nelson, the Founder & CEO of Lovesac, joins the show to share his journey from wanting to create a giant bean bag to creating the billion-dollar couch & bean bag brand. Hear what The Price is Right and Cap’n Crunch have to do with Lovesac, how to stay true to your brand as your company grows, what to focus on as a founder, how to survive as a business for multiple decades, and the top entrepreneurship Shawnisms from Let Me Save You 25 Years. Connect with Shawn at Lovesac.com, on social media @ShawnOfLovesac, and check out his book & podcast Let Me Save You 25 Years

Jul 16, 2025 • 34min
#335: Justin Lunny – Everrati, Electrifying Iconic Cars
Justin Lunny, the Founder & CEO of Everrati, joins the show to share his journey from his first word being “car” to electrifying iconic sports cars. Hear how they create electric vehicles, how to sell high-ticket items, how to sell your business, how to bounce back from failure, and the Dream Car Edition of Rapid-Fire Q&A. Connect with Justin at Everrati.com and on Instagram @EverratiCars

Jul 10, 2025 • 46min
#334: April Wachtel – Cheeky Cocktails, Mixer Mixologist
April Wachtel, the Founder & CEO of Cheeky Cocktails, joins the show to share her journey from bartender to creating the bar-quality line of cocktail mixers. Hear the lessons she learned bartending, how to deconstruct your brand, the surprising things you can learn from your customers, how to find inspiration as an entrepreneur, and the Cocktail Edition of Rapid-Fire Q&A. Connect with April at CheekyCocktails.co, on social media @CheekyCocktails, on LinkedIn, and Instagram @CheekyApril