Courtney and Gordon Gould, Co-Founders and Co-CEOs of SmartyPants Vitamins, have always put the health of their kids, their friends, and the planet first. To do this, they created SmartyPants gummy vitamins, which are non-GMO, allergen-free, and made with eco-friendly ingredients. The Goulds have found a way to combine their experiences in tech and non-profits to grow the SmartyPants business side-by-side. Find out how SmartyPants was born, why a hyper-focused approach keeps it ahead of the comp...
Mar 26, 2019•Ep. 31
Tina Sharkey has held influential leadership roles across multiple industries, having broken new ground in the blogosphere, cinema, and Sesame Street — just to name a few. Now at the helm of Brandless, Tina is facing a brand new challenge as she attempts to disrupt the entire CPG industry. Find out how she's gotten this far, and where Brandless is headed next.
Mar 06, 2019•57 min•Ep. 30
Josh Tetrick isn’t your average entrepreneur, and neither is the JUST story. JUST, formerly Hampton Creek, has gone through countless twists and turns in its quest to get - and stay - on the map. But Josh says the past is behind JUST, and he’s committed to bringing quality food to the planet. Josh’s journey may just be beginning.
Feb 14, 2019•1 hr 39 min•Ep. 19
GT Dave was just a teenager when his kombucha journey began, and his company’s rise to stardom was swift but not without its challenges along the way. Find out how GT built the GT’s Kombucha empire, how he deals with a largely unregulated beverage catetgory, and where his empire looks to expand next.
Jan 22, 2019•55 min•Ep. 28
Sheena Yaitanes was an entrepreneur before she knew it. A lifelong love of makeup and the desire to evolve an aging industry propelled Sheena toward what is now Kosas Cosmetics. Find out how discipline, passion, and patience put Sheena and Kosas on the map, how she keeps her company lean, and how Kosas does things differently enough to set it apart from the crowd.
Jan 03, 2019•43 min•Ep. 27
Few direct-to-consumer businesses have had as much success as Casper, and Philip Krim saw an opportunity to disrupt the mattress industry after familiarizing himself with a product that could be sold much more effectively. Find out how Philip's business experience made him perfect for his role as Casper chief executive, how he and his team work harmoniously, and why physical retail is still a must.
Dec 04, 2018•43 min•Ep. 26
Tarang Amin grew up learning how to sell. From the early days of his family's successful motel business to running some of world's biggest CPG brands, Tarang's experience is hard to beat. Find out how the e.l.f. Cosmetics CEO found himself in the makeup industry, why he believes observing others is the best way not to make common mistakes, and where he wants to take e.l.f next.
Nov 14, 2018•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 25
When Doug Bouton made the jump from a job as an attorney to the ice cream space, he knew he had a lot to learn. Find out how Doug's refusal to do things everyone else's way helped catapult Halo Top to household name impressively quickly, what he learned along the way, and why Halo Top didn't want to sell.
Oct 25, 2018•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 24
Katlin Smith believes that a healthy diet means a better life, and she has the degrees to prove it. Find out how Katlin created Simple Mills while still working full-time, why she believes eating better is better for physical and mental health, and where her company is going next.
Oct 02, 2018•47 min•Ep. 23
When Nick Green cc--founded Thrive Market, an online membership community delivering high-quality organic, non-GMO products to customers, he'd already achieved entrepreneurial success, but nothing quite like this. Now Nick brings healthy products to a huge user base that saves money by bypassing retail markups. Thrive also offers free memberships to low-income families, teachers, veterans, and students.
Sep 12, 2018•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 22
Soylent Co-Founder John Coogan never thought his engineering and data science expertise would lead him to a nutritional beverage brand....but that's exactly what happened. Find out how Soylent was born out of a need to save time and money, how John's team wrote the business script as they went along, and why Soylent has captured startup hearts worldwide.
Aug 22, 2018•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 21
Moj Mahdara is a master salesperson. At a very early age, Moj began perfecting the art of the hustle and identifying industries ripe for disruption. Find out how Moj tore through the music, real estate, and apparel industries through courage and persistence, and why Beautycon is at the forefront of a new cultural revolution.
Aug 07, 2018•53 min•Ep. 20
When Veronica Garza was forced to adopt a grain-free diet, her deep connection to food as a family and cultural bond had to be reimagined. Learn how Veronica, her brother and Siete Foods CEO Miguel, and the entire Garza family worked toward the goal of what is now a delicious, health-conscious, and successful brand.
Jul 24, 2018•56 min•Ep. 19
When Eric Ryan co-founded the natural cleaning brand Method, he changed an entire industry. But even with Method's impressive success, over-scaling taught Eric some valuable lessons along the ride. Find out how Eric's current role as Olly Co-Founder & CEO combines a love of health, sleep, and energy with a savvy growth strategy only the most seasoned entrepreneur could pull off.
Jul 10, 2018•52 min•Ep. 18
Episode 16 of Unfinished Biz is now available! On this episode we catch up with Drunk Elephant Founder Tiffany Masterson. Learn how a combination of grit, instinct and great products defined a new category (“clean clinical”) and launched one of the fastest growing beauty brands on the market today.
Jun 26, 2018•57 min•Ep. 17
Jillian Michaels and Giancarlo Chersich understand the value of teamwork and great product timing, most recently in the cold brew coffee space. Find out how Jillian left the constraints of the television world to reinvent herself as an entrepreneur, how Giancarlo sees the industry changing, and why the Lucky Jack brand was a truly savvy purchase.
Jun 13, 2018•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 16
Sarah Michelle Gellar knows show business, but has learned the entrepreneurial path is an entirely different investment. Together with her co-founders Galit Laibow and Greg Fleishman, Sarah tapped into a food category that celebrates an experience as much as its ingredients. Find out how Foodstirs aims to bring loved ones back together in the kitchen, why co-founders don’t always have to separate their skills, and why baking is just the beginning of the journey.
May 29, 2018•1 hr•Ep. 15
Zak Normandin, Founder of Little Duck Organics and current Co-Founder & CEO of Dirty Lemon Beverages knows how to do things differently. Dirty Lemon's text-message based payment and customer service platform created a brand-new category in the CPG space. Find out how Zak applied his early highs and lows as an entrepreneur to live more harmoniously, and why thinking outside the box propelled Dirty Lemon into an influencer brand, most recently partnering with Vogue magazine.
May 16, 2018•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 14
Sheryl O'Loughlin, formerly Clif Bar and Plum Organics CEO has had a storied career as a serial entrepreneur, but realized along the way that sometimes taking a step back is the only way to achieve success. Hear how Sheryl found a balance between business, health, and family, and how the magic of REBBL brought her back into the startup life.
May 02, 2018•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 13
College friends Conor Begley and Jonathan Namnath founded Tribe Dynamics because they knew they'd work well together, but set forth in a market they knew very little about: the beauty industry. Find out how Conor and Jonathan disrupted an entire B2B legacy, how they invented an industry measure that actually stuck, and how co-founder harmony is the key to success.
Apr 19, 2018•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 12
When Adam Lowry co-founded the hugely successful natural cleaning brand Method, he was about to learn a lot about partner dynamics. Now armed with invaluable wisdom, Adam's back at it again as the Co-CEO of Ripple Foods, a sustainable food brand looking to replace dairy with alternative ingredients that are also delicious.
Apr 03, 2018•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 11
Jody Levy was a successful creative director when she decided to tackle the business of reducing agricultural waste. Find out how her big bet on turning watermelons into water became a lucrative consumer line, the power of celebrity endorsements, and why timing is everything.
Mar 20, 2018•49 min•Ep. 10
Tim Brown, former pro soccer player and New Zealand native, knew creating a shoe line was near impossible, but despite the challenges, he pressed on. Find out how a combination of tenacity, disappointment, struggle, and unwavering belief in his Allbirds vision kept Tim on the path to what's now a wildly successful direct-to-consumer business. It also happens to be the only shoe Wayne wears every single day.
Mar 06, 2018•57 min•Ep. 9
Former Annie's CEO John Foraker achieved the unheard of when he took the organic food brand public before leading Annie's through a successful sale to General Mills. Find out why John's next bet as CEO of Once Upon A Farm surprised an entire industry, and how he plans to strike gold again.
Feb 21, 2018•54 min•Ep. 8
Bill Weiland grew Presence Marketing from a boutique brokerage into an industry powerhouse through a combination of savvy business strategies and dedication to consumer health. Find out how his own wellness goals inspired his career path and how he navigated challenges over the years to make Presence Marketing the respected household name it is today.
Feb 07, 2018•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 7
As the founder and CEO of Habit, a science and nutrition startup that uses human biological data to create personalized meal plans, Neil Grimmer has dedicated his professional life to optimal health. But the former Plum Organics' CEO was faced with plenty of his own wellness challenges along the way.
Jan 24, 2018•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 6
Beauty executive Amy Regan spent over 20 years in the industry at companies like L'Oréal and Estée Lauder before choosing the startup life with Skinfix, a small skincare business based in in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Find out how Amy's beauty pedigree and desire to share the Skinfix story helped her navigate the ups and downs of national rollouts at Target and Ulta, and gave her a sellout hit at QVC.
Jan 09, 2018•53 min•Ep. 5
Bill Keith, the oldest of 13 children and lifelong entrepreneur, tells the story of how he was forced to think outside the box after tragedy and financial hardship threatened his entire family. Learn how Bill's father's legacy and unwavering dedication to nutrition paved the way for what is now a true success: Perfect Bar.
Dec 26, 2017•31 min•Ep. 4
Unfinished Biz episode 2 profiles Leandra Medine, founder of insanely popular fashion and lifestyle media brand Man Repeller. Robin and Wayne caught up with Leandra during New York fashion week to hear her full story. Find out how Leandra stumbled upon a business almost by accident, how she's leveraged social media to strengthen her brand, and how she plans to evolve the Man Repeller business.
Dec 11, 2017•34 min•Ep. 3
Unfinished Biz episode 1 profiles Koel Thomae, founder of hugely successful Noosa Yoghurt. VMG hasn't actually invested in Noosa (we tried), but Koel's story is too incredible not to share. Find out where her epiphany happened, how she launched a dairy business from scratch, and how she's conquering the natural foods industry. Plus some great Australian trivia for Robin and Wayne!
Dec 11, 2017•39 min•Ep. 2
