Blog Archives

Gardar Stefansson co-founded Good Good, a company from Iceland that makes waves around the globe with its no-sugar-added breakfast and brunch products.

To me, startups like Good Good are extremely exciting since they have to embody all the components of great brand strategy: From starting with a niche product for a niche audience – while allowing the brand name and design to survive any pivots – to shared values, a great name, impactful design, all the way to creating a tribe that the big competitors can’t steal away from you. And doing so from a nordic island.

Gardar and I talk about all of that and it is a wonderful story of accidental – as well as planned – brand success with many insights marketers and founders alike can learn from.

Brice Partouche founded Satisfy, a performance fashion brand for runners to unlock the high.

He wouldn’t say it, but I can: Satisfy is quickly developing into a cult brand and we spent ample time talking about Zeitgeist, culture, and community.

Brice and I discuss how NFTs can be used to create access to a brand, the link between running and creativity, and how every product line starts with a story at Satisfy.

A fascinating conversation.

Adam Rich co-founded Thrillist by sending out an e-mail newsletter to 600 people about things to do in NYC. Well, as they say, the rest is history.

I talk with Adam about how a newsletter turned into a trusted brand and a global multi-platform media monster hitting the eyeballs of more than 300 million people a month, how understanding and sticking to your brand’s DNA is key to brand growth, how emotion and data demand to co-exist, and why thinking about your brand’s legacy must inform your brand’s every action.

Together with Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg and Michael Mohr founded Houseplant, a lifestyle brand rooted in cannabis that creates and curates thoughtful, design-led original products.

By unifying the words “house” and “plant,” the brand has created an entirely new cannabis experience through curated, one-of-a-kind expert insights from Rogen and Goldberg that marry perfectly with well-designed, premium Housegoods.

In this episode with Evan and Michael, we dive into the similarities of crafting a movie versus a brand, why pricing is key to positioning, how to create a welcoming brand in a misunderstood and jaded business segment, and how you can perfectly plan something yet it can still misfire. And that is in a way the challenge, but also the beauty of entrepreneurship and brand building, and I can guarantee you that you will not only gain a lot of insights into brand strategy but you will also greatly enjoy the company of these fine gentlemen on today’s show.