In this episode, Bora sits down with Pauline Nakios, founder of Lilla P, who shares her remarkable 25-year journey from selling a single t-shirt design to building a successful fashion brand. She reveals the nitty-gritty details of starting and scaling a clothing business, offering invaluable insights for aspiring brand builders.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• The reality of starting with minimal capital ($10,000 in 1998) and how to make it work

• Navigating manufacturing challenges, including minimum order quantities and factory relationships

• The art of cold calling and building relationships with boutiques and retailers

• How to balance wholesale (75%) and direct-to-consumer (25%) channels effectively

• The evolution of marketing strategies from traditional methods to modern digital approaches

• Managing seasonal collections and inventory across multiple delivery windows

• The importance of staying true to your brand identity while adapting to trends

• Practical insights on working with sales representatives and expanding territorial coverage

• Current challenges in the fashion industry, including tariff impacts and production sourcing

• The role of AI in modern fashion business operations

Key highlights include Pauline's candid discussion of early mistakes (like not knowing stores bought seasons in advance), the importance of building genuine relationships with retailers, and how she maintained brand consistency while expanding from a single t-shirt to a full collection. She also shares valuable perspectives on modern challenges like balancing wholesale and DTC channels, and adapting to changing marketing landscapes.

Whether you're starting a fashion brand or building any consumer product business, this episode offers a masterclass in sustainable brand building, relationship-based sales, and long-term business growth.

In this episode, Bora chats with Cheryl Sew Hoy, founder and CEO of Tiny Health. She shares her remarkable journey from serial entrepreneur to pioneering force in the tech-bio space. After experiencing drastically different health outcomes with her two children—one born via C-section and another through natural birth—Cheryl discovered the critical role of the gut microbiome in early childhood development. This personal revelation led her to build Tiny Health, a company now revolutionizing how we understand and address gut health across all ages and lifestyles.

What you'll learn:

- The evolution of a personal health discovery into a groundbreaking tech-bio company

- How to validate a business idea in the complex intersection of technology and biology

- Strategic approaches to building credibility in a scientific field as a non-scientist founder

- Practical insights on efficient marketing strategies, from Google Ads to influencer partnerships

- Real tactics for managing customer acquisition costs and scaling sustainably

- The journey from a baby-focused brand to a comprehensive tech-bio platform serving multiple markets

For brand builders, this episode offers invaluable lessons on:

- Building trust and credibility in a scientific field without formal scientific credentials

- Converting personal experience into a viable tech-bio solution

- Strategic community building and influence marketing with authentic storytelling

- Balancing multiple business models (D2C, B2B, and scientific research) under one brand

- Smart resource allocation and growth management in early-stage startups

Whether you're interested in health tech, tech-bio innovations, or scaling a science-based startup, Cheryl's journey provides a masterclass in building a mission-driven company that bridges personal experience with market opportunity.

In this episode, Bora sits down with Chris Salgardo, former President of Kiehl's and founder of ATWATER Skincare, shares raw insights about transitioning from corporate leadership to entrepreneurship. With 18 years at L'Oreal and having built Kiehl's into a powerhouse brand, Chris reveals why even his impressive background didn't make starting ATWATER a smooth journey.

Key insights you'll learn:

- Why relationships and industry experience, while valuable, aren't enough to guarantee success in today's market

- The unexpected challenges of self-funding vs. raising capital, and crucial financial lessons learned the hard way

- How to develop a distinctive brand identity: from choosing colors with meaning to creating authentic storytelling

- Why DTC is no longer the cash cow it used to be, and how the beauty retail landscape is shifting towards Amazon

- The truth about influencer marketing: why one post doesn't work and how to really get the 15+ touchpoints needed for conversion

- Surprising insight: 16% of ATWATER's customers are women, revealing important lessons about cross-gender marketing

- Critical advice on sustainable business practices and why they're no longer optional in 2024

Perfect for entrepreneurs, brand builders, and anyone interested in the beauty industry's evolution. Chris shares candid stories about expensive mistakes, humbling moments, and the realities of building a brand in today's competitive landscape. Whether you're just starting out or scaling your existing brand, this episode offers practical wisdom from someone who's seen both sides of the business.

In this episode, Rebalance Health's leadership team sits down with Bora to discuss their scientific approach to solving multiple modern health crises through cortisol control. Justin Hai (Co-Founder/CEO) and Dina Keenan (CMO) share how they're revolutionizing hormone health with their clinically-proven Superceutical® technology.

What You'll Learn:

• The Master Hormone Theory:

- Why cortisol is the key to unlocking better hormone health

- How modern technology and lifestyle disrupt our natural cortisol rhythm

- The critical connection between cortisol, sleep quality, and hormone production

• The Science Behind Their Solutions:

- Their innovative DirectLine® delivery system with 300x better absorption

- Results from IRB-approved clinical studies showing:

* 80% reduction in hot flashes

* 86% improvement in mood

* 85% better sleep quality

- Why their 3-part daily system aligns with natural circadian rhythms

• Market Impact & Demographics:

- Why 80% of women suffer from unrecognized hormone imbalance

- How 50 million women globally enter menopause each year

- Why 66% of adults experience health-related anxiety

- The 30% of men aged 40-79 affected by testosterone deficiency

• Building a Mission-Driven Brand:

- Their commitment to affordable, accessible solutions

- Why they chose direct-to-consumer distribution

- How they maintain authenticity in marketing and influencer partnerships

- Their approach to educating consumers about hormone health

• Product Innovation:

- The development of their mint lozenge delivery system

- How they address multiple conditions through one root cause

Perfect For:

• Health & wellness entrepreneurs

• Brand builders in the supplement space

• Direct-to-consumer founders

• Mission-driven business leaders

• Healthcare innovators

• Marketing professionals in wellness

This episode offers rare insights into building a science-backed wellness brand that's tackling some of today's biggest health challenges. Learn how Rebalance Health is changing the conversation around hormone health while maintaining the highest standards of scientific validation and ethical business practices.

In this episode, Bora sits down with Breanna Hughes, co-founder of Bird&Be, who shares her remarkable journey from tech product management to revolutionizing the fertility supplement industry. This episode is a masterclass in turning personal challenges into business opportunities while maintaining authenticity and building genuine community connections.

What You'll Learn:

- How to validate your business idea before building: Discover Breanna's strategic approach to market research, including creating "fake" companies and landing pages to test demand

- The power of community-first brand building: Learn how Breanna leveraged her personal fertility journey to build authentic connections in Facebook groups and social media

- Product development insights: Understanding the transition from tech to physical products, including:

- Working with medical experts to develop formulations

- Taking an agile approach to physical product development

- Navigating manufacturing and supply chain challenges

How Bird&Be successfully:

- Built a direct-to-consumer channel

- Expanded into fertility clinics

- Earned medical professional endorsements

- Mission-driven business lessons: Understanding how solving a personal problem can lead to creating a must-have product versus a nice-to-have

Key Takeaways for Brand Builders:

- The importance of being deeply embedded in your target community before launching

- How to conduct effective user research and validate product-market fit

- Strategies for building trust in the healthcare/wellness space

- The power of authentic storytelling in brand building

- Balancing mission-driven goals with sustainable business practices

Whether you're considering a transition from tech to physical products, looking to build a wellness brand, or seeking insights on community-first business building, this episode provides actionable insights from someone who's successfully made the journey.

In this episode, Bora chats with Adam Pearson, whose family's search for bananas to supply a gold mine's cafeteria led to an extraordinary discovery that shook the chocolate world. While sourcing produce for the mine's food service provider, they stumbled upon an extinct variety of Nacional Cacao, once considered the finest chocolate-making bean of 19th century Europe, hidden in the remote jungles of Peru.

What brand builders will learn:

• The art of opportunity recognition - how to spot potential when you're completely outside your expertise

• How serendipity can lead to unique business opportunities—from selling parts to a gold mine to stumbling upon extinct cacao

• The power of persistence: How the family invested two years and their life savings to perfect their cacao processing

• The courage to pivot: Transitioning from government accounting to jungle chocolate-making

• Building authentic brand stories - their discovery was verified by USDA's genetics lab

• Taking calculated risks: How a 67-year-old entrepreneur invested everything in an entirely new industry

• The value of specialized expertise: Why they needed an engineering mindset to perfect fermentation

• Geographic exclusivity as a brand differentiator - owning access to a rare ingredient

• The role of scientific validation in building brand credibility

• How complete industry outsiders navigated learning complex agricultural processes

This episode is perfect for entrepreneurs interested in:

- Recognizing hidden opportunities

- Luxury/premium product development

- Food & beverage industry

- Agricultural businesses

- Family business dynamics

- Brand storytelling

- Product quality optimization

- Market differentiation strategies

From a government accountant's cubicle to the steamy jungles of Peru, discover how a family of complete industry outsiders transformed an accidental discovery into what would become a unique position in the premium chocolate market.

This story challenges listeners to question: Would you have the courage to pursue an opportunity in an industry you knew nothing about? Sometimes, the biggest opportunities come disguised as weird-looking fruits in unexpected places - and this episode shows you exactly how to recognize them when they appear.

In this episode, Bora speaks with Zack Abbott, PhD, founder of ZBiotics, who shares his remarkable journey from studying bacterial pneumonia to pioneering the world's first genetically engineered probiotic company.

What You'll Learn:

- How bacteria can be used as an "API" to build revolutionary consumer products

- The fascinating process of turning a scientific breakthrough into a consumer brand

- Behind-the-scenes look at how ZBiotics conducted 10,000+ customer interviews to perfect their product

- Practical insights on transitioning from scientist to entrepreneur

- Real challenges of finding manufacturers for novel biotech products

- Strategic approach to building distribution channels: from DTC to Amazon to retail

- Key marketing strategies that worked for a revolutionary product category

- The future of engineered probiotics and upcoming innovations in consumer biotech

For Brand Builders:

This episode is particularly valuable if you're:

- Building a science-based consumer brand

- Looking to validate and launch innovative products

- Interested in the intersection of biotech and consumer goods

- Planning to transition from DTC to retail

- Working on products that require significant consumer education

- Seeking insights on how to market revolutionary products

Zack shares candid insights about their marketing journey, including how they built trust with skeptical consumers, leveraged creator partnerships effectively, and scaled their customer acquisition channels. Whether you're a biotech entrepreneur or a consumer brand builder, this episode offers a masterclass in bringing revolutionary products to market.

Like modern-day Marco Polos, Caryl Levine and Ken Lee's Lotus Foods journey began with a discovery in a remote Dai minority village in China that would change the American culinary landscape forever. Against all odds and expert advice, their exotic black rice caught the attention of America's most celebrated chefs, including Thomas Keller, Alice Waters, Roland Passot, Gary Danko, and Mark Miller - who made it the star of the prestigious Napa Valley Wine Auction.

In this fascinating episode, Bora discovers how these culinary explorers:

• Transformed an ancient "emperor's exclusive grain" into a premium rice category in America

• Built their brand with zero food industry experience, bootstrapping with credit cards while keeping their day jobs for 7.5 years

• Created a distributor-driven growth model that expanded from high-end restaurants to national retail presence

• Pioneered sustainable rice farming practices that reduced water usage and methane emissions

• Built lasting partnerships with small-holder farmers across Asia, improving lives and preserving biodiversity

Perfect for aspiring brand builders who want to understand:

- How to turn a unique product discovery into a successful brand

- Strategies for winning over influential chefs and building credibility

- Building distribution networks from ground zero

- Balancing profit with sustainability and social impact

- The power of patience and steady growth in brand building

This episode offers a masterclass in how exploration, curiosity, and persistence can turn an exotic discovery into a thriving, mission-driven brand. Whether you're searching for your own unique product or building a sustainable food brand, you'll find inspiration in this modern-day tale of discovery and entrepreneurship.

Bora chats with Beau Schmitt, co-founder of Sunday Scaries, who shares the remarkable journey of transforming from a stressed-out bar owner to building one of the most successful CBD brands in America.

What You'll Learn:

- The fascinating origin story of how running a high-stress bar business led to discovering CBD's potential

- Behind-the-scenes look at developing CBD products: from sourcing US-grown hemp to perfecting gummy formulations

- Critical insights on why US-grown hemp matters and the dangers of international sourcing

- Early-days marketing strategies that worked in 2017 vs. what's working now

- How to navigate strict advertising restrictions on major platforms (Facebook, Google, Amazon) and still grow

- Creative influencer marketing strategies that actually work in 2024

- The evolution of brand messaging from product education to emotional connection

- Real talk about payment processing challenges in the CBD industry and how to overcome them

- Why certain marketing channels failed (like billboard advertising) and which ones succeeded

- Expert tips on working with creators and building authentic partnerships

Key Highlights:

- Sunday Scaries' journey to helping over 250,000 people with stress and anxiety

- Why they're expanding into functional mushroom products

- The importance of brand evolution and maturity in the wellness space

- Practical advice for entrepreneurs in restricted industries

Perfect for Entrepreneurs, brand builders, marketing professionals, and anyone interested in the CBD/wellness industry or building a brand in a restricted category.

Bora uncovers how a single naturally-occurring molecule became the foundation of a revolutionary skincare brand that's now in every Ulta Beauty store across America. Justin Kerzner, founder of Magic Molecule, reveals the fascinating journey of building a brand around hypochlorous acid - a powerful healing compound that our own bodies produce, yet most people (including dermatologists) have never heard of.

Key Episode Highlights:

• The science behind the "miracle molecule" that performs 120 times better than bleach, yet is safe enough to spray in your mouth

• From skepticism to success: How Magic Molecule turned their harshest social media critics into their most loyal customers through radical transparency

• Inside the pitch that took them from 0 to 1,400 Ulta Beauty stores - including the unconventional strategy that won over multiple senior buyers

• Strategic lessons in FDA compliance: Navigating the complex world of medical device marketing while building a consumer brand

• The power of authentic reviews: How gifting 2,000 products pre-launch created a foundation of trust and credibility

• Real talk about scaling challenges: Managing creative consistency and team growth across multiple locations

Perfect for brand builders who want to:

- Learn how to position a revolutionary ingredient in a crowded market

- Navigate FDA regulations while building a consumer brand

- Scale from DTC to major retail presence

- Convert skeptics into brand advocates

- Build authentic customer trust from day one

Whether you're launching a skincare brand or scaling any DTC product, this episode offers a masterclass in turning a single innovative ingredient into a retail empire - all while maintaining authenticity and building genuine customer trust.