#350: Dan Schaefer of Native Pet, on Product & Brand Innovation, Finding the Right Manufacturing Partner, and First Principles Thinking to Forge Your Own Path

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#Business #Careeradvice #Careerchange #Careercoach #Careereducation #Careerswitch #Careertraining #Entrepreneur #Entrepreneurship #Impactcareer #Makemoremoney #Onlinebusiness #Onlinemarketing #Sidehustle #Smallbusiness #Startabusiness #Justin Gordon #DreamJobbing #Careers

39:50

The truth is out West! We’re hopping on the ET Highway and venturing to the most notorious alien hot spots, including Roswell’s infamous crash site, Area 51’s eerie perimeter, and a mysterious desert watchtower. Join us as journalist Laura Krantz, host of the podcast Wild Thing , beams up to share stories from the front lines of UFO reporting—from strange sightings and quirky festivals to a mailbox where people leave letters to extraterrestrials. Maybe you’ll even decide for yourself: Is Earth a tourist stop for spaceships? UFO hot spots you’ll encounter in this episode: - UFO Watchtower (near Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado) - Roswell, New Mexico - Area 51, Nevada - Extraterrestrial Highway (aka State Route 375), Nevada - Little A’Le’Inn, ET Highway, Nevada - E.T. Fresh Jerky, ET Highway, Nevada - Alien Research Center, ET Highway, Nevada - The Black Mailbox, ET Highway, Nevada Via Podcast is a production of AAA Mountain West Group .…

2 years ago 42:55

MP3•Episode home

Their products utilize whole-food and superfood ingredients to harness the healing powers found in nature to bolster the health and well-being of our pets. When Dan was looking for better nutrition for his Labrador retriever, Louie, he found that brands were really missing the mark. He quickly realized that kibble was base nutrition and if he wanted to customize Louie's diet for his own unique needs, he required a tailored regimen of kibble coupled with supplements. In an effort to make this realization a reality, Dan called on his childhood friend, Pat Barron, who had a similar passion for pets, food systems and entrepreneurship and together, they founded Native Pet in 2017. In March 2022, they closed their $6M Series A funding led by CAVU Venture Partners with participation from Mars' Companion Fund and Selva Ventures.

Topics Covered by Dan Schaefer in this Episode

How becoming a pet parent led Dan to found Native Pet
Dan and his co-founder Pat Barron's entrepreneurial experience and graveyard of startup ideas
Why Native Pet became the right business idea for them to pursue
Finding market opportunity through product differentiation
R&D: market research, product testing, and when to leverage experts
Finding the right co-manufacturing partner for quality, mission-alignment, and growth
Brand-building while developing innovative product
Launching on Amazon, how their distribution and marketing tactics have evolved, and going against the grain
The strategy behind deciding to raise venture capital
Use of funds through several stages of fundraising
How they’ve seen the pet category evolve since their launch 5 years ago
What’s next for Native Pet

Listen to all episodes of the Just Go Grind Podcast: https://www.justgogrind.com

Follow Justin Gordon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/justingordon212

368 episodes

Just Go Grind

#350: Dan Schaefer of Native Pet, on Product & Brand Innovation, Finding the Right Manufacturing Partner, and First Principles Thinking to Forge Your Own Path

Just Go Grind

15 subscribers

published 2 years ago

MP3•Episode home

Topics Covered by Dan Schaefer in this Episode

How becoming a pet parent led Dan to found Native Pet
Dan and his co-founder Pat Barron's entrepreneurial experience and graveyard of startup ideas
Why Native Pet became the right business idea for them to pursue
Finding market opportunity through product differentiation
R&D: market research, product testing, and when to leverage experts
Finding the right co-manufacturing partner for quality, mission-alignment, and growth
Brand-building while developing innovative product
Launching on Amazon, how their distribution and marketing tactics have evolved, and going against the grain
The strategy behind deciding to raise venture capital
Use of funds through several stages of fundraising
How they’ve seen the pet category evolve since their launch 5 years ago
What’s next for Native Pet

Listen to all episodes of the Just Go Grind Podcast: https://www.justgogrind.com

Follow Justin Gordon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/justingordon212

368 episodes

All episodes

Just Go Grind

1
How to Actually Scale a Startup, From a Founder Who Did It 3x (Just Go Grind, Episode #364) 54:54

7 days ago54:54

54:54

Episode 364: Justin Gordon interviews Waseem Daher, Co-Founder of Pilot, about his experience as a 3x founder building a startup that's raised $150M+ in venture capital. Check out the founder salary report . Watch this episode and others on YouTube . --- This episode is brought to you by Rho . With Rho, founders get: A single pane of glass they can use to run and scale their business from Day 1: Bank account, corporate cards to start running – and expense management, bill pay automation, and accounting to help you move fast as you scale. Rho is trusted by thousands of companies ranging from two-person YC companies to brands like Perplexity, Cal.com, Splitwise and more. The big thing with Rho: Every customer has a "person" at Rho. 24/7 customer support - phone, text, email - we will be there at every critical milestone in your startup's journey. To learn why startups choose Rho, visit www.rho.co today. --- Show Notes: 00:00 What’s coming in the episode… 00:27 Introduction 01:36 Waseem’s passion for startups 03:58 Starting Pilot 05:43 Why was it the right time to start Pilot 13:30 Early days at Pilot 19:27 Raising capital for Pilot 22:32 Waseem’s mentality on fundraising 26:36 The story behind Pilot’s Series A round 30:22 Pilot’s first sales 34:09 Pilot’s ICP 36:44 Growth strategies back then 40:09 Growth strategies today 48:34 The evolution of Waseem’s role as a founder 54:25 Be a part of Pilot --- Connect with Justin: Twitter: https://x.com/justingordon212 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justingordon8/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justincharlesgordon/ --- What Justin is working on: Just Go Grind Newsletter: https://www.justgogrind.com/subscribe The LA Grind Local Newsletter: https://thelagrind.beehiiv.com/subscribe Newsletter Founder Course & Community: https://newsletterfounder.com/ Running (Strava): https://www.strava.com/athletes/52394979 Hiring: https://partnerslink.athyna.com/pod Scouting: https://headline.com/…

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How Abdul Al-Asaad of Basic Capital is Building a New 401(k) (Just Go Grind, Episode #363) 45:21

15 days ago45:21

45:21

Episode 363: Justin Gordon interviews Abdul Al-Assad, co-founder and CEO of Basic Capital, about how he created the startup solution to finance investments and close the American ownership gap. Check out Basic Capital . Watch this episode and others on YouTube . --- This episode is brought to you by Rho . With Rho, founders get: A single pane of glass they can use to run and scale their business from Day 1: Bank account, corporate cards to start running – and expense management, bill pay automation, and accounting to help you move fast as you scale. Rho is trusted by thousands of companies ranging from two-person YC companies to brands like Perplexity, Cal.com, Splitwise and more. The big thing with Rho: Every customer has a "person" at Rho. 24/7 customer support - phone, text, email - we will be there at every critical milestone in your startup's journey. To learn why startups choose Rho, visit www.rho.co today. --- Show Notes: 00:00 What’s coming in the episode… 00:48 Introduction 02:18 Basic Capital’s origin 06:51 Abdul’s background 09:41 Hustling for Basic Capital and raising from billionaire Bill Ackman 16:55 The solution to a vicious cycle 24:00 Early days of Basic Capital 30:19 Raising capital 36:11 The logic behind Basic Capital 40:25 The vision for Basic Capital 43:34 Get involved in Basic Capital --- Connect with Justin: Twitter: https://x.com/justingordon212 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justingordon8/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justincharlesgordon/ --- What Justin is working on: Just Go Grind Newsletter: https://www.justgogrind.com/subscribe The LA Grind Local Newsletter: https://thelagrind.beehiiv.com/subscribe Newsletter Founder Course & Community: https://newsletterfounder.com/ Running (Strava): https://www.strava.com/athletes/52394979 Hiring: https://partnerslink.athyna.com/pod Scouting: https://headline.com/…

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Building a $100M+ home services empire with Jeremy Yamaguchi (Just Go Grind, Episode #362) 1:14:35

18 days ago1:14:35

1:14:35

Episode 362: Justin Gordon interviews Jeremy Yamaguchi, founder of Lawn Love and Cabana Pools, about how he built and grew several “high-suck” companies in the home services industry. Check out Jeremy's company, Cabana Pools . Watch this episode and others on YouTube . --- This episode is brought to you by Rho . With Rho, founders get: A single pane of glass they can use to run and scale their business from Day 1: Bank account, corporate cards to start running – and expense management, bill pay automation, and accounting to help you move fast as you scale. Rho is trusted by thousands of companies ranging from two-person YC companies to brands like Perplexity, Cal.com, Splitwise and more. The big thing with Rho: Every customer has a "person" at Rho. 24/7 customer support - phone, text, email - we will be there at every critical milestone in your startup's journey. To learn why startups choose Rho, visit www.rho.co today. --- Show Notes: 00:00 What’s coming in the episode… 00:55 Introduction 02:17 Jeremy’s background 08:34 Jeremy’s “origin story” 18:22 The process behind Lawn Love 26:18 Early days of Lawn Love 30:42 Lawn Love’s experience in YC 33:19 Angel raising with Lawn Love 35:47 Lawn Love’s growth 37:56 Selling Lawn Love 40:48 Founding Cabana Pools 49:19 Growing + buying companies 53:15 Fundraising for Cabana Pools 1:06:17 Cabana’s challenges 1:11:05 What’s next for Cabana Pools 1:13:17 Contact Jeremy --- Connect with Justin: Twitter: https://x.com/justingordon212 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justingordon8/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justincharlesgordon/ --- What Justin is working on: Just Go Grind Newsletter: https://www.justgogrind.com/subscribe The LA Grind Local Newsletter: https://thelagrind.beehiiv.com/subscribe Newsletter Founder Course & Community: https://newsletterfounder.com/ Running (Strava): https://www.strava.com/athletes/52394979 Hiring: https://partnerslink.athyna.com/pod Scouting: https://headline.com/…

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Zero to $80M in 4 years with John Andrew Entwistle of Wander (Just Go Grind, Episode #361) 1:03:54

24 days ago1:03:54

1:03:54

Episode 361: Justin Gordon interviews John Andrew Entwistle, Founder and CEO of Wander, about how he built a luxury travel business at the age of 23. Book a Wander with inspiring views, hotel-grade amenities, dreamy beds, top-tier cleaning, and 24/7 concierge service. It’s a vacation home, but better: https://www.wander.com/ Watch this episode and others on YouTube . --- This episode is brought to you by Rho . With Rho, founders get: A single pane of glass they can use to run and scale their business from Day 1: Bank account, corporate cards to start running – and expense management, bill pay automation, and accounting to help you move fast as you scale. Rho is trusted by thousands of companies ranging from two-person YC companies to brands like Perplexity, Cal.com, Splitwise and more. The big thing with Rho: Every customer has a "person" at Rho. 24/7 customer support - phone, text, email - we will be there at every critical milestone in your startup's journey. To learn why startups choose Rho, visit www.rho.co today. --- Show Notes: 00:00 What’s coming in the episode… 00:52 Introduction 02:49 John Andrew’s beginnings 04:08 Early lessons as a founder 08:19 The start of Wonder 16:35 The story behind Coder.com 20:00 Wander’s early days 25:08 Building Wander’s brand 30:40 First customers and feedback 36:29 Locations and international expansion 42:03 John Andrew’s purpose 46:04 Funding Wander 50:51 Where is Wander today? 55:12 Focusing on user activation 1:02:41 What’s next for Wander? --- Connect with Justin: Twitter: https://x.com/justingordon212 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justingordon8/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justincharlesgordon/ --- What Justin is working on: Just Go Grind Newsletter: https://www.justgogrind.com/subscribe The LA Grind Local Newsletter: https://thelagrind.beehiiv.com/subscribe Newsletter Founder Course & Community: https://newsletterfounder.com/ Running (Strava): https://www.strava.com/athletes/52394979 Hiring: https://partnerslink.athyna.com/pod Scouting: https://headline.com/…

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How Nick Huber Built a $100M+ Empire with "Unsexy" Businesses (Just Go Grind, Episode #360) 58:33

4 weeks ago58:33

58:33

Episode 360: Justin Gordon interviews Nick Huber, entrepreneur, investor, and author of "The Sweaty Startup", about how he built three thriving companies and a well-known online brand. Link to buy Nick's book on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4bLazjW --- This episode is brought to you by Rho . With Rho, founders get: A single pane of glass they can use to run and scale their business from Day 1: Bank account, corporate cards to start running – and expense management, bill pay automation, and accounting to help you move fast as you scale. Rho is trusted by thousands of companies ranging from two-person YC companies to brands like Perplexity, Cal.com, Splitwise and more. The big thing with Rho: Every customer has a "person" at Rho. 24/7 customer support - phone, text, email - we will be there at every critical milestone in your startup's journey. To learn why startups choose Rho, visit www.rho.co today. --- Show Notes: 00:00 What’s coming in the episode… 00:54 Introduction 02:21 Nick’s background 05:53 Growth strategies 07:58 From college storage to self-storage 11:00 Raising capital 13:17 Partnering up 17:21 Selling Storage Squad 19:31 Nick’s presence on Twitter 24:37 Acquiring Somewhere 33:01 Starting RE Cost Seg 37:30 Writing “The Sweaty Startup” 43:04 A business empire vs a media empire 47:23 What’s next? 49:16 Where’s the opportunity now? 56:34 Nick’s ideal business partners 58:07 Reach out to Nick --- Connect with Nick: www.sweatystartup.com www.nickhuber.com www.sweatystartupbook.com www.somewhere.com www.boltstorage.com www.recostseg.com www.adrhino.com www.spidexx.com www.boldseo.com www.titanrisk.com www.x.com/sweatystartup www.instagram.com/sweatystartup www.linkedin.com/in/sweatystartup www.youtube.com/sweatystartup www.tiktok.com/sweatystartup www.threads.net/@sweatystartup.com https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nick-huber-show/id1576120606 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sweaty-startup/id1445260221 --- Connect with Justin: Twitter: https://x.com/justingordon212 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justingordon8/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justincharlesgordon/ --- What Justin is working on: Just Go Grind Newsletter: https://www.justgogrind.com/subscribe Running (Strava): https://www.strava.com/athletes/52394979 Hiring: https://partnerslink.athyna.com/pod Scouting: https://headline.com/…

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From Hedge Funds to $100M+ Startup Founder with Everett Cook of Rho (Just Go Grind, Episode #359) 55:07

5 weeks ago55:07

55:07

Episode 359: Justin Gordon interviews Everett Cook, Co-Founder & CEO of Rho, about how he built the company into a leader in business banking. Everett Cook’s dream was to start a company. Even before Rho , he’d always loved markets and finance. So much so that he interned for the Mike Bloomberg, where he got to learn from one of the best entrepreneurs in the world. Then he spent a decade as Portfolio Manager at multiple macro hedge funds, and had the time of his life. But still, there was something missing. Something of his own. So when he got tired of waiting for the ‘spark of opportunity’, he decided to go look for it himself. That was the start of Rho, the fintech that quickly became a key player in the business finance world. --- This episode is brought to you by Rho . With Rho, founders get: A single pane of glass they can use to run and scale their business from Day 1: Bank account, corporate cards to start running – and expense management, bill pay automation, and accounting to help you move fast as you scale. Rho is trusted by thousands of companies ranging from two-person YC companies to brands like Perplexity, Cal.com, Splitwise and more. The big thing with Rho: Every customer has a "person" at Rho. 24/7 customer support - phone, text, email - we will be there at every critical milestone in your startup's journey. To learn why startups choose Rho, visit www.rho.co today. --- Show Notes: 00:00 What’s coming in the episode… 01:18 Introduction 02:14 The start of Rho 04:14 Everett’s background 9:53 Decision-making in the early days of Rho 14:50 Partnering with banks 17:48 Growth in the early days 20:44 Building community 25:19 Rho’s competition 27:10 How does Rho get feedback 29:16 Rho’s target and non-target market 31:29 The SVB crisis and other challenges 35:22 Hiring in-person vs remote 38:15 Raising capital 47:43 Everett as a founder --- Connect with Justin: Twitter: https://x.com/justingordon212 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justingordon8/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justincharlesgordon/ --- What Justin is working on: Just Go Grind Newsletter: https://www.justgogrind.com/subscribe Running (Strava): https://www.strava.com/athletes/52394979 Hiring: https://partnerslink.athyna.com/pod Scouting: https://headline.com/…

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Jacob Jaber on Scaling Philz Coffee and Building a Beloved Brand (Just Go Grind, Episode #358) 55:11

6 weeks ago55:11

55:11

Episode 358: Justin Gordon interviews Jacob Jaber, Co-Founder, former CEO, and current Board Member of Philz Coffee, the company that grew from one neighborhood shop in San Francisco into a beloved national brand known for its personalized blends and people-first approach. Jacob helped scale Philz to over 70 locations across the country, raising venture funding while staying true to its community-driven roots. He’s now the Founder of Humble Lion , where he invests in and supports the next generation of brick-and-mortar businesses built with heart. --- This episode is brought to you by Rho . With Rho, founders get: A single pane of glass they can use to run and scale their business from Day 1: Bank account, corporate cards to start running – and expense management, bill pay automation, and accounting to help you move fast as you scale. Rho is trusted by thousands of companies ranging from two-person YC companies to brands like Perplexity, Cal.com, Splitwise and more. The big thing with Rho: Every customer has a "person" at Rho. 24/7 customer support - phone, text, email - we will be there at every critical milestone in your startup's journey. To learn why startups choose Rho, visit www.rho.co today. --- Show Notes: 00:00 What’s coming in the episode… 1:14 Introduction 2:32 The story behind Philz Coffee 7:13 What made Philz stand out? 11:05 Expanding Philz 18:01 Hiring for the new locations 24:19 Challenges of expanding 29:00 Raising capital 36:09 The keys to scaling Philz 40:02 Long-lasting brands 42:57 Starting Humble Lion 51:17 What to look for in a brick-and-mortar 54:29 Contact Jacob Jaber --- Connect with Justin: Twitter: https://x.com/justingordon212 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justingordon8/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justincharlesgordon/ --- What Justin is working on: Just Go Grind Newsletter: https://www.justgogrind.com/subscribe Running (Strava): https://www.strava.com/athletes/52394979 Hiring: https://partnerslink.athyna.com/pod Scouting: https://headline.com/…

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How HF0’s Dave Fontenot Helps Founders Birth Their Life’s Work (Just Go Grind, Episode #357) 1:21:35

7 weeks ago1:21:35

1:21:35

Episode 357: Justin Gordon interviews Dave Fontenot, Founder of HF0, the residency for repeat founders. At HF0 , 10 teams live in a 20,000-square-foot mansion in San Francisco for 12 weeks to build their life's work. During the residency, everything is taken care of for them, healthy meals are provided daily, and founders can focus solely on building their company. The quality of these founders is awe-inspiring, with many teams reaching $2M-$3M in ARR by demo day. --- This episode is brought to you by Rho . With Rho, founders get: A single pane of glass they can use to run and scale their business from Day 1: Bank account, corporate cards to start running – and expense management, bill pay automation, and accounting to help you move fast as you scale. Rho is trusted by thousands of companies ranging from two-person YC companies to brands like Perplexity, Cal.com, Splitwise and more. The big thing with Rho: Every customer has a "person" at Rho. 24/7 customer support - phone, text, email - we will be there at every critical milestone in your startup's journey. To learn why startups choose Rho, visit www.rho.co today. --- Show Notes: 00:00 What’s coming in the episode… 1:22 Introduction 2:49 What is HF0? 6:00 Dave’s background 9:57 Dave’s vision 15:12 Early days of HF0 19:35 From MHacks to HF0 24:53 First ever concept of HF0 27:46 Second batch 32:58 Dave’s take on inner work 37:23 From New York to San Francisco 40:05 Funding HF0 48:29 Putting the teams together 1:05:40 The success of HF0 1:10:23 On the lookout for a GP 1:11:57 Dave’s hypothesis on why HF0 worked --- Connect with Justin: Twitter: https://x.com/justingordon212 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justingordon8/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justincharlesgordon/ --- What Justin is working on: Just Go Grind Newsletter: https://www.justgogrind.com/subscribe Running (Strava): https://www.strava.com/athletes/52394979 Hiring: https://partnerslink.athyna.com/pod Scouting: https://headline.com/…

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$0 to $4M: Inside the Bootstrapped Rise of Whippy with David Daneshgar (Just Go Grind, Episode #356) 59:10

8 weeks ago59:10

59:10

Episode 356: Justin Gordon interviews David Daneshgar, Co-Founder and CEO of Whippy, about how he went from pro poker player winning the World Series of Poker to startup founder doing more than $4M/year in revenue. --- This episode is brought to you by Rho . With Rho, founders get: A single pane of glass they can use to run and scale their business from Day 1: Bank account, corporate cards to start running – and expense management, bill pay automation, and accounting to help you move fast as you scale. Rho is trusted by thousands of companies ranging from two-person YC companies to brands like Perplexity, Cal.com, Splitwise and more. The big thing with Rho: Every customer has a "person" at Rho. 24/7 customer support - phone, text, email - we will be there at every critical milestone in your startup's journey. To learn why startups choose Rho, visit www.rho.co today. --- Show Notes: 00:00 What’s coming in the episode… 1:21 Introduction 2:15 The present state of Whippy 3:18 David’s background 6:26 From poker to business school 8:34 Early days of BloomNation 11:45 What makes David a good salesman? 13:12 Events as a growth strategy 15:49 Growing BloomNation 18:06 Starting Whippy 25:21 The start of Whippy’s revenue 27:35 Product development at Whippy 33:14 The first million in revenue 34:54 Where is Whippy going 41:37 David on hiring 43:44 The distributed team at Whippy 46:39 Next big challenges 50:05 David as a founder 54:03 Keeping Whippy on top of the AI world 57:09 Who is Whippy for? 58:42 How to contact David --- Connect with Justin: Twitter: https://x.com/justingordon212 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justingordon8/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justincharlesgordon/ --- What Justin is working on: Just Go Grind Newsletter: https://www.justgogrind.com/subscribe Running (Strava): https://www.strava.com/athletes/52394979 Hiring: https://partnerslink.athyna.com/pod Scouting: https://headline.com/…

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How he built a $20M/year newsletter with Tim Huelskamp of 1440 (Just Go Grind, Episode #355) 58:52

10 weeks ago58:52

58:52

Episode 355: Justin Gordon interviews Tim Huelskamp , Co-Founder and CEO of 1440 , about how he built 1440 into a $20M+/year business and a newsletter with more than 4.5 million subscribers. --- This episode is brought to you by Rho . With Rho, founders get: A single pane of glass they can use to run and scale their business from Day 1: Bank account, corporate cards to start running – and expense management, bill pay automation, and accounting to help you move fast as you scale. Rho is trusted by thousands of companies ranging from two-person YC companies to brands like Perplexity, Cal.com, Splitwise and more. The big thing with Rho: Every customer has a "person" at Rho. 24/7 customer support - phone, text, email - we will be there at every critical milestone in your startup's journey. To learn why startups choose Rho, visit www.rho.co today. --- This episode is also brought to you by TRIBE . TRIBE is a community for fast-growing early to mid-stage entrepreneurs. It includes facilitated peer groups of 6, retreats, guest speakers, book club, forums, and more. Qualifications: Entrepreneurs generally doing between $500k and $15 million per year in revenue. Apply to TRIBE today and save $300 off the yearly membership price when you mention Just Go Grind! --- Show Notes: 00:00 What’s coming in the episode… 1:18 Introduction 2:32 Where is 1440 now? 4:11 The story behind ‘Topics’ 12:30 How did Tim know 1440 had product market fit? 15:07 How do they get user feedback 16:32 ‘Topics’ monetization 21:28 1440 vs AI 25:49 Founding 1440 27:27 Partnering with Co-Founder Andrew Steigerwald 31:09 The first year of experimentation 35:34 Tim’s investment in 1440 37:18 Start of advertising 39:00 Funding 1440 45:33 How much of revenue is reinvested in growth 49:36 The team at 1440 51:40 How does AI fit into 1440? 53:36 Where’s the opportunity for a new media company today? 58:20 Reach out to Tim Huelskamp --- Connect with Justin: Twitter: https://x.com/justingordon212 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justingordon8/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justincharlesgordon/ --- What Justin is working on: Just Go Grind Newsletter: https://www.justgogrind.com/subscribe Running (Strava): https://www.strava.com/athletes/52394979 Hiring: https://partnerslink.athyna.com/pod Scouting: https://headline.com/…

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Shawn Sheikh: From Y Combinator Founder to Cash Flowing Empire (Just Go Grind, Episode #354) 53:07

12 weeks ago53:07

53:07

Episode 354: Justin Gordon interviews Shawn Sheikh , Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Adly , about how he builds, acquires, and invests in companies. -- This episode is brought to you by Rho . With Rho, founders get: A single pane of glass they can use to run and scale their business from Day 1: Bank account, corporate cards to start running – and expense management, bill pay automation, and accounting to help you move fast as you scale. Rho is trusted by thousands of companies ranging from two-person YC companies to brands like Perplexity, Cal.com, Splitwise and more. The big thing with Rho: Every customer has a "person" at Rho. 24/7 customer support - phone, text, email - we will be there at every critical milestone in your startup's journey. To learn why startups choose Rho, visit www.rho.co today. -- This episode is also brought to you by TRIBE . TRIBE is a community for fast growing early to mid-stage entrepreneurs. It includes facilitated peer groups of 6, retreats, guest speakers, book club, forums, and more. Qualifications: Entrepreneurs generally doing between $500k and $15 million per year in revenue. Apply to TRIBE today and save $300 off the yearly membership price when you mention Just Go Grind! -- Show Notes: 00:00 What’s coming in the episode… 01:14 Introduction 02:55 Shawn Sheikh’s background 04:45 Starting Solve 09:15 Starting PivotCMO 11:29 Meeting Adly’s co-founder, Fred Chiang 13:38 Selling PivotCMO 17:14 Moving on to company investment and acquisition 22:04 Raising capital 25:10 Shawn’s goals and motivations 27:26 Adly’s deal flow 29:30 What to look for in a deal 31:46 Red flags in a deal 34:21 Why is Adly winning the deals? 36:32 Next steps after the deal 38:45 Building Adly’s team 40:06 Shawn’s day to day at Adly 42:33 Adly’s portfolio companies 44:17 Adly’s purchase of Smodin AI 48:57 Shawn’s approach to starting something new 50:50 What’s next? 52:26 How to reach out to Shawn Referenced: Adly Solve (acquired by Blacklane) Pivot CMO (acquired by Conspiracy Theory and Unfold) DoubleList Smodin Guthy Renker Connect with Justin: Twitter: https://x.com/justingordon212 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justingordon8/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justincharlesgordon/ What Justin is working on: Just Go Grind Newsletter: https://www.justgogrind.com/subscribe Running (Strava): https://www.strava.com/athletes/52394979 Hiring: https://partnerslink.athyna.com/pod Scouting: https://headline.com/…

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#353: Yacine Sibous, Co-Founder of Parker, the Financial Stack for Scaling Your E⁠-⁠commerce Brand Faster and More Profitably 37:25

34 weeks ago37:25

37:25

Yacine Sibous is the Co-Founder of Parker , the financial stack for scaling your e⁠-⁠commerce brand faster and more profitably. After studying Physics and Computer Science at McGill University, Yacine left to attend 42 , a unique software engineering school in France. It’s there that he met his co-founder Milan Ray. Yacine and Milan went on to participate in Y Combinator in 2019. They have since raised $157 million from investors and have processed more than $550 million on their platform, with customers that include brands like Caraway, Venus et Fleur, and Dolls Kill. Topics Covered by Yacine Sibous in this Episode 0:00 Parker: A digital banking platform for internet-based companies 1:05 How a friend’s business selling phone cases on Instagram in college led to the inception of Parker 5:36 Attending Y Combinator and how COVID led Yacine and Milan to return to their original idea after many pivots 8:50 How Yacine met his co-founder, Milan Ray and decided to work together 10:08 Attending the unique school 42 in France 10:59 Early feedback on Parker that led Yacine and Milan to stick to their original idea 12:01 Understanding the fundraising game and raising their first round from YC 13:35 The mistake of under-utilizing funds and burning too little 15:09 What fueled Parker’s growth 17:19 Leveraging events for growth post-COVID 18:09 What differentiates Parker from its competitors 21:45 How customer feedback enabled them to build a credit model unique to e-commerce 23:58 The key to raising debt 24:49 Yacine’s best fundraising advice 27:03 Tips for building hiring both junior and executive team members 31:12 How a focus on growth has enabled Parker’s success 33:30 How Yacine invests in himself 35:21 What’s next for Parker 36:52 Parker’s target customer 37:10 Where to connect with Yacine Connect with Parker and Yacine Website: Parker LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/yacine-sibous/ Twitter: @YacineSibous Email: yacine@getparker.com Learn from other world-class founders: https://www.justgogrind.com Follow Justin Gordon, the host, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/justingordon212…

Just Go Grind

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#352: Julien Smith of Practice, on Optimizing for Long Value, Driving Emotion When Raising Venture Capital, and Inside Tips for Building a Better Business 48:02

2 years ago48:02

48:02

Julien Smith is currently the Co-founder and CEO of Practice, a world class tool to help coaches build their businesses entirely on their own. He has started many companies, including Breather, for which he raised $150M and got to Series D before handing it to a hired CEO. As a coach, he takes on a few select first time CEOs who he coaches on finding customers, building a team, running a business, and raising venture financing. He has coached founders who have been funded by the world's best venture firms, including A16Z, General Catalyst, Craft Ventures, Khosla Ventures, Y Combinator, and more. Julien is also a New York Times bestselling author of business and marketing books. He and his co-author were among the first to write books about social media and how to use it for business purposes, and many of the best practices you see in the field were put on paper by them first. The first book, Trust Agents, was written with Chris Brogan, and became instant New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller, winning awards including Amazon and 800 CEO-READ's best books of the year. They also collaborated on another book, The Impact Equation, published in 2012. His second book, The Flinch, edited by Seth Godin, has remained one of the top downloaded and highlighted books on Kindle since the day it was published. Website: Practice LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/juliensmith/ Twitter: @julien Second Time Founders podcast Topics Covered by Julien Smith in this Episode The background behind Julien’s company Practice Why Julien decided to start Practice after his success starting Breather How Julien runs and structures his practice coaching founders How founders can build better businesses Julien’s tips for fundraising Driving emotion in fundraising pitches Identifying true value when building your cap table Julien’s big vision for growing Practice and what he’s doing differently from his first company How the Second Time Founders podcast was born Listen to all episodes of the Just Go Grind Podcast: https://www.justgogrind.com Follow Justin Gordon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/justingordon212…

Just Go Grind

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#351: Candace Nelson of Sprinkles, on Disrupting the Bakery Industry to Build an Empire, Expansion into New Markets, and Strategic Brand Building 42:45

2 years ago42:45

42:45

Candace Nelson is a serial entrepreneur, NYT and WSJ bestselling author, WSJ contributor, angel investor, TV personality, executive producer, and mom. She started her career working in investment banking and the internet start-up scene before completely shifting gears to follow her passion and attend pastry school. In 2005, she opened the doors to Sprinkles , the world’s first cupcake bakery. Despite early naysayers, their 600-square-foot bakery in Beverly Hills disrupted the legacy bakery industry and ignited a worldwide cupcake phenomenon! In 2012 Sprinkles introduced its Cupcake ATM, a cutting-edge contactless cupcake delivery system. Later that year they sold Sprinkles to PE firm KarpReilly. Today, Sprinkles has sold over 200 million cupcakes, has over 20 stores, 30 Cupcake ATMs, and 1000 employees. In 2017, Candace co-founded Pizzana , a fast-growing chain of award-winning Neo-Neapolitan pizzerias, leading the “third wave” of pizza in the US. Pizzana cemented Los Angeles as a pizza destination and revolutionized pizza takeout with its innovative heat and slice at-home method. Pizzana also ships its frozen pizza nationwide. In 2021 she co-created and executive produced Best in Dough, a Hulu show starring Pizzana Executive Chef Daniele Uditi, which began streaming in the Fall of 2022. Today, through her company, CN2 Ventures, a family office, and venture studio, she has backed a diverse portfolio of startups in the specialty food, retail, health, wellness, and early childhood spaces with a focus on female and underrepresented founders. Candace is also the executive producer and star in Netflix’s Sugar Rush and Food Network’s Cupcake Wars. Her book, Sweet Success: A Simple Recipe For Turning Your Passion Into Profit was published by HarperCollins Leadership in November 2022. Website: Sprinkles LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/candacenelson9/ Twitter: @candacenelson Instagram: @candacenelson/ TikTok: @candacenelson YouTube: https://youtube.com/user/SprinklesCandace Her new book, Sweet Success: A Simple Recipe For Turning Your Passion Into Profit Her NYT bestselling cookbook, The Sprinkles Baking Book Topics Covered by Candace Nelson in this Episode Candace’s unconventional path to starting Sprinkles and elevating the cupcake Her decision to choose a new career path despite other people’s expectations Identifying the market opportunity for cupcakes Getting Sprinkles off the ground and early organic growth Early product development Bootstrapping and the challenge of finding a retail location Launching their first location with no retail experience and how scarcity drove demand How they leveraged celebrity marketing How they approached growth and expansion, and establishing themselves as market leaders Franchising vs owning distribution Avoiding founder’s syndrome and deciding to sell Sprinkles How Candace went on to co-found Pizzana Investing through CN2 Ventures and as an angel How Candace views brand building Brand strategy during expansion Candace’s most recent book, Sweet Success: A Simple Recipe For Turning Your Passion Into Profit Listen to all episodes of the Just Go Grind Podcast: https://www.justgogrind.com Follow Justin Gordon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/justingordon212…

Just Go Grind

1
#350: Dan Schaefer of Native Pet, on Product & Brand Innovation, Finding the Right Manufacturing Partner, and First Principles Thinking to Forge Your Own Path 42:55

2 years ago42:55