Claim OwnershipWild Business Growth
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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
353 Episodes
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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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Ted Xenohristos, the Co-Founder & Chief Concept Officer of CAVA, joins the show to share his journey from starting a casual Mediterranean restaurant to scaling to over 400 fast-casual locations and going public. Hear what he learned growing up in a restaurant, how to create a buzzworthy brand, how to prevent menu creep, how CAVA stays fresh & generous, and the Greek Edition of Rapid-Fire Q&A. Connect with Ted at CAVA.com, on LinkedIn, and on Instagram @CAVATedX
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
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
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
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
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
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
Eric Johnson, the CEO of SurveyMonkey, joins the show to share his journey from building businesses in the music industry to leading the world's most popular platform for surveys and forms. Hear how SurveyMonkey has evolved over the years, how to focus on your core product while innovating, how often to test products & features, how to de-stress as an entrepreneur or CEO, and how running helps with productivity. Connect with Eric at SurveyMonkey.com and on LinkedIn
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