The show for ambitious operators scaling their businesses.
Hosted by Mark Brazil, co-founder of IKONICK, Open Residency is built around a simple idea: learn from the people who’ve already figured out what most entrepreneurs are still trying to solve—so you can become a more well-rounded operator.
Mark sits down with the operators, marketers, creators, and specialists who are world-class at their craft. These conversations go far beyond what they’ve built and why—they break down exactly how they’ve done it. The tactical insights, frameworks, and decision-making processes that help you think c
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Chris Voss is giving you The 10 Lines Negotiation Playbook , every phrase, framework, and sequence from the episode distilled into one free PDF → https://openresidency.com/chris-voss-playbook?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=chris_voss_playbook In this episode, we sit down with Chris Voss, former FBI lead hostage negotiator and author of Never Split the Difference , to break down the 10 negotiation lines that flip any deal. Chris walks through exactly why 'Have you ...
Dom Iacovone broke it down in our conversation. We turned every framework, formula, and strategy from the episode into one free PDF → https://openresidency.com/dom-iacovone-playbook In this episode of Open Residency, we sit down with Dom Iacovone, the American CEO of The Quality Group — the holding company behind Raw Nutrition, Bum Energy, and a portfolio of brands including Cadence, 3D, Revive, and his newest launch, Onside. Dom breaks down how he went from "running and gunning" as a founder to...
Peter Rahal broke it down in our conversation. We turned every framework, formula, and strategy from the episode into one free PDF → https://openresidency.com/peter-rahal-playbook?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=peter_rahal_playbook In this episode of Open Residency, we sit down with Peter Rahal, founder of David and the operator who built and sold RXBAR for $600M. 255 days into David, Peter has already raised at a $725M valuation, survived a viral lawsuit, and acq...
Michael Brandt is giving you The Ketone-IQ Playbook → https://openresidency.com/michael-brandt-playbook?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=michael_brandt_playbook In this episode, we sit down with Michael Brandt, co-founder and CEO of Ketone-IQ, to talk about how he's building the category around what he calls the fourth macronutrient: ketones. Michael ran a 2:35 marathon, studied engineering at Stanford, and spent years in the early biohacking scene before betting ev...
📬 Danny Yeung is giving you The $100m Velocity Playbook — https://openresidency.com/danny-yeung-playbook TIMESTAMPS: 00:00:00 Trailer00:00:52 What's Your Marketing Mix With IM8?00:04:16 What Does Your CAC to LTV Look Like?00:05:44 What Does Your Content System Look Like?00:07:41 Platform Risk and Where To Spend Next00:08:37 How Do You Keep Your Customers?00:15:05 Partnership With David Beckham00:22:14 Partnership With Sabalenka00:25:08 New Partners For IM800:29:46 AI Tools For Business00:31:51 ...
In this episode of Open Residency, we sit down with David Grutman, the founder of Groot Hospitality and the man behind LIV, Komodo, and Papi Steak, to break down how he built one of the most iconic hospitality empires in the world. David shares the ecosystem thinking that turned a single nightclub into a multi-venue flywheel, why he treats every concept as intellectual property, and the hard lessons that shaped how he operates today. We go deep on the deal structures behind his biggest wins and ...
Investor Dan Martell outlines the AI Operator Playbook, tier-ranking tools like Claude, Gemini, and Grok, while critiquing ChatGPT. He explains advanced concepts like reverse prompting, agentic AI, and virtual employees, showcasing how AI can automate finance and manage inboxes. Martell emphasizes focusing on business bottlenecks and customer retention for profit growth, not just content creation, and highlights the crucial role of trust in AI adoption.
Matt Gray is giving you the Founder Flywheel, the 3-layer audience system he used to build an 8-figure business that runs without him, and it’s in the link below. It’s the operating architecture behind 18,000+ founders helped, including the 7-System Business Blueprint and the Content Waterfall that turns one video into 24+ pieces across every platform. The part that changes everything: the one layer 99% of founders skip, and why skipping it means your audience can never become revenue. Download ...
Taylor Holiday is giving you the Four Quarter Accounting System, and it’s in the link below. It’s the financial framework his team used to forecast $3 billion within 4% of target across 1,000+ brands, built on a principle most e-commerce founders have never heard: the forecast belongs in the marketing department, not finance. Inside: the exact P&L structure that tells you which of four numbers is killing your profit and what to do about it. Download it free: https://openresidency.com/taylor-...
Ross Mackay is giving you the $2 Luxury Blueprint, and it’s in the link below. It’s the system he used to build the only consumer good under $3 positioned as luxury, going from $0 to $10M in 600 days with $40M projected in year two. Inside: the Core-Race-Recover product architecture, the retail economics formula nobody talks about, and the exact packaging decision that tripled sell-through with the same liquid. Download it free: https://openresidency.com/ross-mackay-playbook?utm_source=youtube&a...
📬 The playbook behind every episode, straight to your inbox: https://openresidency.com/signup ⚡️ BTS & more https://openresidency.com/jeff-byers TIMESTAMPS: 00:00:00 Trailer 00:00:49 Why Did You Kill A $6 Million Product Overnight? 00:05:07 The Biggest Lie In The Supplement Industry 00:06:36 Why Is Sourcing So Important? 00:07:51 What Do 3rd Party Certifications Actually Mean? 00:15:27 Product Development 00:20:45 Biggest Misconceptions About Creatine 00:29:15 How Did You Get Your First Par...
Kallaway reveals his systematic approach to building efficient content machines, explaining the "five content games" and the "seven Lego bricks" framework for short-form content. He emphasizes YouTube's power for trust accrual, the critical role of packaging, and the importance of audience matching and lead magnets. The episode also delves into how AI will impact content, the need for unique personal narratives, and entrepreneurial strategies for sustainable growth.
👉 Join our private community for operators, marketers, and creators (waitlist) - https://www.newsletter-signup.com/or/ ⚡️ BTS & more https://openresidency.com/samir-chaudry TIMESTAMPS: 00:00:00 Trailer 00:01:16 The 3 Rules of YouTube 00:12:27 How to Properly Think About Your Audience 00:24:14 How To Get Good At Title and Thumbnail 00:37:00 How To Research A Vertical 00:42:57 How To Avoid Burnout 00:47:11 The Hidden Problems With Podcasts Today 00:55:21 Respecting the Viewer's Time 01:01:04 ...
In this episode, we sit down with Dan Koe for a deep conversation about building a Future Proof Skill Stack, navigating AI, and designing a life that isn't dictated by someone else's goals. Dan breaks down why the most important skills today aren't technical, but meta — learning how to learn, how to think, and how to earn. We explore how AI is accelerating the need for adaptability, why taste, narrative, and trust are becoming the real moats, and how creators can stop chasing niches and instead ...
In this episode, we sit down with Mark Manson , bestselling author of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F *ck, for a wide-ranging conversation about pain, purpose, momentum, and what it actually takes to build a meaningful life. Mark explains why you can’t want the reward without wanting the cost, how suffering is often self-created through the stories we tell ourselves, and why momentum—not motivation—is the real driver of progress. We go deep on relationships and dating — romance vs compatibility...
In this episode, I sit down with Sean Frank, CEO of Ridge, for a deep dive into the systems behind one of the most profitable e-commerce brands operating today. Sean breaks down how Ridge confidently spends $100K/day on ads, why simplicity beats cleverness in performance creative, and the disciplined frameworks that allow Ridge to scale without outside capital. He also shares something he rarely talks about publicly: Ridge's biggest weakness — and why it's actually the one unfair advantage small...
In this episode, I sit down with George Heaton to unpack how a two-year trademark battle nearly ended Represent and how surviving it ignited the creative fire that pushed the brand into its biggest years ever. He breaks down the personal brand flywheel, product discipline, and offline community strategy that helped turn Represent into one of the most influential modern apparel labels today.
In this episode, I sit down with Simon Molnar, founder of Flagship.ai, to break down why 83% of shopping still happens in-store — yet most stores run with almost no data. Simon explains how visual merchandising became the most overlooked lever in retail, why brands misjudge store performance, and how Flagship built the square-foot-level “money map” that finally gives brick-and-mortar the same funnel e-commerce has.We also dive into Simon’s leadership philosophy shaped by Afterpay’s $29B rise — h...
In this episode, I sit down with Joel Kocher, the 70-year-old CEO & Co-Founder of Humann, a $200M company redefining cardiovascular health. We unpack how Joel went from early retirement and burnout to discovering the "miracle molecule" nitric oxide — the foundation behind Humann's science-backed approach to longevity. He explains why most people misunderstand heart health, how clinical trials became his edge, and what it takes to build a lasting company.We also dive deep into leadership — fr...
In this episode, I sit down with Robert Greene, bestselling author of The 48 Laws of Power, to break down the timeless strategies of power, seduction, and human psychology that drive success in business and life. We dive into: - Why concealing your intentions and talking less creates an aura of power - Never outshining the master and how reputation translates directly into capital - The dangerous allure of free and why formlessness beats rigidity in business - What your twenties should actually ...
This episode is the content creation blueprint for the AI era. Roberto Nickson (RPN) just hit $1.5M in revenue at 85% margins as a one-man creator army — and he's sharing everything. 2 hours of straight value, no gatekeeping. We cover: How Roberto Makes $1.5M as a Solo Creator Newsletter, Consulting & Building Owned Media Landing Partnerships with Meta, Adobe & Spotify The Metric Brands Actually Care About (Not Views) Positioning = Pricing Power The Infinite Content Machine: AI & Aut...
This week, we dissect the business flywheel behind Sahil Bloom (author of the NYT Best Seller The 5 Types of Wealth ) — his initiatives, team, and how he’s scaled it. At the core is the bigger theme: money as a tool (not the goal), the “15 more times” mindset, time as the real asset, and systems to protect your energy. This book changed my life. Enjoy the conversation!
For operators, marketers, and creators — this one's for you. Oren John is rare: He deeply understands both sides of content marketing — the creative and the performance. People with taste and the ability to stay unemotional about metrics are hard to find nowadays. This convo is all signal, no fluff. We rapid-fire through content frameworks, creative reference systems, platform strategy, TikTok Shop, influencer partnerships, how Oren makes money, and a lot more. Enjoy the conversation!...
In this episode, I sit down with Brian Garofalow, CEO of Skullcandy, to unpack his leadership philosophy, product strategy, and how he's repositioning the brand for explosive growth in a crowded consumer electronics market. We dive into: Brian’s “People, Process, Product” framework for scaling innovation Skullcandy’s four-bucket system for managing product life cycle How a bold partnership with Bose redefined product perception A behind-the-scenes look at how Skullcandy balances hard sales data ...
In this episode, I sit down with Caleb Ralston, Founder and Brand Strategist at Ralston, to break down what it actually takes to build a brand that sticks—and content that converts. We unpack real frameworks, hard-won lessons, and key insights from working with names like Gary Vaynerchuk and Alex Hormozi. We cover: - The Brand Journey Framework — a four-question system to shape your strategy - Association: how proximity builds powerful brand perception - The 80/20 Rule for content: balancing exp...
In this episode, I sit down with Nick Shackelford, Head of Retention and Partner at BREZ, to break down modern customer acquisition and retention strategies for 2025. Nick has managed over $200M in ad spend and brings hard-won insights from scaling multiple brands — including his own agencies, Structured and Konstant Kreative — into this conversation. We get into: Why creative is now the new targeting, with Nick giving the keys on Meta’s evolving algorithm The ideal framework for customer acquis...
In this episode, I sit down with Kent Yoshimura, Co-Founder & CEO of Neurogum, to unpack how the brand became one of TikTok’s fastest-growing success stories and scaled to over $100 million in revenue. We dive into: - The TikTok strategy that transformed Neurogum’s growth - How the team shifted their marketing mix to make TikTok their top-of-funnel channel—while maintaining a 52x ROAS on Amazon with zero ad spend - Their strategic approach to partnerships - A hiring process that’s led to 98%...
In this episode, I sit down with Ryan Bartlett, CEO of True Classic, to break down how they scaled to over $200M+ in annual revenue with a valuation approaching $1B. We get into: The evolution of their marketing strategy from pure direct response to brand building How they leverage customer feedback to drive product development through their membership program Their unique approach to customer service and community building Website optimization strategies that helped increase AOV from $36 to $11...
In this episode, I sit down with Nate Checketts, co-founder and CEO of Rhone, to unpack how a luxury performance-apparel brand went from a single pant to a nine-figure omnichannel business with NBA deals, retail success, and a wildly unique internal wellness system. We dive into: Building Rhone from the ground up into a category-defining brand Their “12 Pursuits” framework: a monthly habit system blending physical and mental wellness How breathwork, sleep tracking, and community-driven wellness ...
In this episode, I sit down with Oliver Zak, co-founder of Mad Rabbit, to break down his journey from launching a DIY skincare product in a crockpot to securing a Shark Tank deal with Mark Cuban and scaling into major retailers like Walmart. We dive deep into: What really happens after a Shark Tank deal and its long-term impact The business of tattoos and how Mad Rabbit is disrupting an overlooked industry The power of TikTok, influencers, and affiliate marketing in scaling a DTC brand Succeedin...
