PROCO360 | Best Podcast for Entrepreneurs and Business Owners

Passion-Based Retailer a Spicy Success

“We have customers tell us that we’ve helped them become better chefs.”

Janet Johnston, Co-founder, Savory Spice Shops

I begin this interview with a bit of a rant about how so many passion-based retailers fail, barely holding on long enough to save their pride after working 80-hour weeks for less than minimum wage.  Savory Spice, now with 30 locations, is a clear exception.  Husband and wife Mike and Janet Johnston share ideas that reveal what made their results different!

Peeing Outside is Patented, Branded

“We always had a method to capture demand... we established a waitlist of over 5,000 people.”

GG Edwards, Co-founder & CEO Gnara (formerly SheFly)

20% off PROMO CODE below in show notes!

Successful startup stories based on an “OMG, what a great idea!” product are always fun.  When I spoke with GG Edwards, it was a day before she was set to announce the expanded branding of what was then called SheFly – a company formed around ONE product.  Something that often makes the sharks on Shark Tank say, “That’s a product, not a business.”  So, while GG and I talked about the aha moment and then the process of creating the initial product – and that’s inspiring – we also talked about moving from a single product to a broader business, now called Gnara.  

Want to try Gnara?  Use Promo Code:  GNARA360 for 20% off!

 

Performance Fabric Breakthrough

“We believe that big boxes stifle innovation because you start chasing volume.”

Dustin English, Chief Experience Officer, Voormi

I was interested in speaking with Dan English, Founder and CEO of Voormi because I saw a few Voormi  garments in specialty retailers and thought it would be interesting to explore competing against the big name brands.  This interview fascinated me because of the strategy that Dan and his son Dustin laid out.  It’s a strategy of innovation and licensing as much as – well, maybe more than – selling products.  You’ll hear my surprise and keen interest as this interview goes a direction I hadn’t planned.

Journey to Getting Med Device to Market

“I was taken under the wing of one of the most prolific surgeon entrepreneurs of the 20^th century.”

Dr. James Mault, Founder and CEO, BioIntellisense

I’ve had a little visibility into the world of medical devices.  It’s not for the faint of heart (a bit of a pun).  The road is so long, so slow, so arduous, and SO expensive – and potentially impactful and lucrative.

I was introduced to Dr. James Mault by my friends at the Colorado Bioscience Association after BioIntelliSense won the award as Bioscience Company of the Year, 2022.  Happy to have Jim in the studio with me – what a great story of a very relatable product that will improve outcomes and reduce costs.

40% of Global Bison Market

“It’s conservation through commerce.  If people didn’t like eating bison there wouldn’t be 500,000 today.”

Bob Dineen, Founder and President, Great Range Bison

I like bison burgers.  Just putting that out there. 

As much as I like talking with CEOs of unicorn tech companies, speaking with the founder of a bison company that has 40% of the GLOBAL market was pretty fascinating.  As a podcast host, my primary tool is curiosity – and whether you are a meat eater or not, learning about this industry from Bob Dineen – the worldwide leader in his industry – is pretty special.

 

Yeti Cycles Built to Go Fast

“We’ve got to be the market for mountain bikers… what do WE want to ride?”

Chris Conroy, President, Yeti Cycles

I like mountain biking and I have a bike that when it was new, was pretty good.  My friends who are serious about mountain biking a) tease me about my bike now, and b) are super jealous that I had the President of Yeti Cycles in the studio with me! HA!  Chris Conroy and the Yeti team are passionate about building bikes for racing.  We talk about that, about differentiating the brand (racing), about marketing – and, I couldn’t NOT ask him about e-bikes! 

Secret: want to know the truth about whether if there's a connection between YETI bikes and YETI coolers?  

Not Kidding About Having Fun

“WHEN YOU’RE SOLVING A VERY CHALLENGING PROBLEM WITH TECHNOLOGY YOU CAN ATTRACT EXCEPTION PEOPLE.”

Dax Craig, CEO of Pie Insurance

I spent my first year out of college selling life insurance and it was the worst year of my life.  It’s not a surprise that as I got ready to prepare for this episode, I wasn’t excited.  I had to remind myself, “This is a UNICORN company.  Investors are throwing crazy money at it.”  I used that to motivate myself to dig-in.

BIG surprise! Dax Craig is such an engaging CEO.  He admitted that it’s not about insurance for him either – it’s about the challenge of solving a problem that truly helps small businesspeople start and sustain a business.  Highly encourage listening to this episode – I think you’ll lean in the way I did!

Starting from Skratch, Maturing as CEO

“There’s more value in learning and team development than in avoiding a mistake.”

Ian MacGregor, CEO, Skratch Labs

Ian was also my guest for Episode 75 about 2 years ago.  At that time, Ian explained that he’d been an “accidental” CEO.  I wanted to catch up with Ian and see how he was maturing as a leader, as a CEO.  I almost chose this quote to lead with,

“We got OBSESSED with the customer experience – being more than just a product,”

and instead chose the quote above it because it’s more aligned with the theme of “maturing as a CEO.”  Ian is such a great guy – you’ll enjoy his candor and the journey of Skratch Labs.

Talent Propels Rocket Engines

“Engineers joined us because they saw the people already here whom they’d admired, and now could work with and learn from.”

Joe Laurienti, CEO, Ursa Major

I wanted to learn about rocket engines from a rocket scientist, so of course I was excited to interview Joe Laurienti, founder and CEO of Ursa Major, based in Berthoud, Colorado.  Joe and I had a good time methodically understanding (me asking, Joe explaining) the key features of their rocket engines.  We also explored the relationship between price, reliability, risk and reusability.  Aerospace is a huge and growing industry sector in Colorado and you’ll want to listen to this episode of ProCO360!

Disrupting the Ticketing Industry for Good

”Our first few people who joined us, joined as full-time volunteers.” 

Josh Ross, Humanitix

Global disruption of the entrenched oligopoly of ticketing – and doing it as a “for purpose” business with no equity investors and volunteers as its first “employees.”  Humanitix did that.  Starting in Australia and becoming a dominant player there emboldened Humanitix to expand its services to the U.S. with a Colorado HQ, saving ticket buyers massive amounts in fees, and contributing millions to children’s causes along the way. Their story is a fascinating one.