Building While Flying

Earlier this year, Mickey and Gary joined Matt Hunckler for the Powderkeg Unvalley Conference. Powderkeg is a network of local communities with global reach for tech entrepreneurs, investors, and top talent. Unvalley is a two-day virtual event that explores the untapped potential beyond Silicon Valley.

In this special bonus episode, we're bringing their keynote session to our listeners, so you all can learn more about how The Sasha Group landed in Chattanooga, attracting talent in new cities, the value of community, and much more—directly from Mickey and Gary themselves.

In this special bonus episode, you'll hear Mickey and Gary discuss:

• How Mickey met Gary
• Trusting your intuition
• How VaynerMedia was recruited to come to Chattanooga
• Building a team for a new office hub while maintaining Vayner culture
• The birth of The Sasha Group in 2019
• Adapting business offerings to meet market needs
• Building the Vayner/Sasha brand in a new, mid-sized market
• ...and a whole lot more.

Helpful Links:

• Stork: https://4ds.thesashagroup.com/stork/
• 4Ds https://4ds.thesashagroup.com/
• Mickey LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/mickeycloud/
• Gary LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/garyvaynerchuk/
• Matt LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/hunckler/
• Matt Twitter https://twitter.com/Hunckler
• Powderkeg Twitter https://twitter.com/powderkegco
• Powderkeg Instagram https://www.instagram.com/powderkeg/

Some things just run in the family. Such is the case for this week's guest. What started with a $2,000 investment and a dream is now one of the world's most popular barbecue brands that people enjoy in restaurants and their own homes.

Welcome to Building While Flying!

This weekly podcast is brought to you by the Sasha Group. We're the small-to-medium-sized business arm of the VaynerX family of companies. We help ambitious companies build strong brands that flex with the times through strategy, branding, media, and marketing.

In ever-changing times, businesses and brands have to shift and adapt. And across all sectors, there is an air of experimentation. Business owners are trying new things out in the wild; building the plane while flying.

Our pilots, Katie Hankinson and Mickey Cloud, will be talking to a diverse range of business leaders and founders. They'll explore how these guests tackle various challenges while staying resilient and committed to growth. Through these real-life examples of strategies put into practice, we hope to inspire you to experiment and develop your own strategies as we all navigate these uncertain times together.

Chef Duce Raymond grew up in and around the culinary world and food service industry.

After working in restaurants with his dad and uncle, and attending culinary school, Duce and his Uncle Dave opened the first Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ restaurant in 2005. Since its inception, they have grown their restaurant and catering business, sold millions of bottles of their famous Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauces, rocked the barbecue competition circuit, and grown Sweet Baby Ray's into a $650 million brand.

In his conversation with Mickey, Duce shares how Sweet Baby Ray's got started, and what it was like breaking into the restaurant industry, especially for barbecue. Duce breaks down the nuances between working in the restaurants vs. the catering side of business, and offers some catering advice to brides. He shares some of the biggest lessons he's learned in his years of business, from menu offerings to impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. And of course they discuss the best kind of barbecue—and Duce's answer might surprise you!

Other in-flight topics:

• The story behind Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce
• The best kind of barbecue
• Breaking into the restaurant industry
• Differences between restaurant work and catering
• Catering advice for brides
• Lessons learned from pandemic changes

Relevant Links:

• Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce: https://www.sweetbabyrays.com/
• Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Restaurants: https://www.sweetbabyraysbbq.com/
• Duce on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/duceraymond/

What's your favorite style of BBQ?

The restaurant industry is not for the faint of heart, especially if you're operating in college towns. When the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the industry, many businesses closed and let their staff go. This week's guest did the exact opposite.

Welcome to Building While Flying!

This weekly podcast is brought to you by the Sasha Group. We're the small-to-medium-sized business arm of the VaynerX family of companies. We help ambitious companies build strong brands that flex with the times through strategy, branding, media, and marketing.

In ever-changing times, businesses and brands have to shift and adapt. And across all sectors, there is an air of experimentation. Business owners are trying new things out in the wild; building the plane while flying.

Our pilots, Katie Hankinson and Mickey Cloud, will be talking to a diverse range of business leaders and founders. They'll explore how these guests tackle various challenges while staying resilient and committed to growth. Through these real-life examples of strategies put into practice, we hope to inspire you to experiment and develop your own strategies as we all navigate these uncertain times together.

Bret Oliverio is the owner and CEO of Sup Dogs, a high-energy college town restaurant, with two locations in Greenville and Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Sup Dogs was the pipe dream of Bret's older brother Derek. But after Derek passed away after a sudden accident in 2011, Bret and his wife quit their jobs to carry on Derek's legacy. After several years of growth, challenges, and success, they faced their toughest challenge yet: the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020.

In this week's episode, Bret tells Katie the origin story of Sup Dogs, and shares what it's like going into the restaurant industry with no background or experience. Most importantly, Bret breaks down the impact of the pandemic, beyond just the shift to takeout and delivery. He talks about his focus on his employees and staff, and making sure they were taken care of during this difficult time. He says that current staffing problems across the country are multifaceted and not due to just one factor. Lastly, he talks about what he sees in the future of the restaurant and service industry, and shares what other owners can do to stand out and retain great staff.

Other in-flight topics:

• Sup Dogs' origin story
• Operating a restaurant in college towns
• Maintaining a strong brand
• How a background in radio helps in the restaurant industry
• Taking care of your employees during the pandemic
• Treating and paying your employees fairly and "better than ever"
• Challenges of hiring after the pandemic
• The future of the restaurant and service industry

Links:

• Website: https://supdogs.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/supdogsrestaurant/
• TikTok: @supdogsrestaurant

It's easy to tell when a company has become "truly digital"—especially in the financial services industry. This week's guest discusses why being "truly digital" in fintech matters, and the best ways to get there while building trust with your customers.

Welcome to Building While Flying!

This weekly podcast is brought to you by the Sasha Group. We're the small-to-medium-sized business arm of the VaynerX family of companies. We help ambitious companies build strong brands that flex with the times through strategy, branding, media, and marketing.

In ever-changing times, businesses and brands have to shift and adapt. And across all sectors, there is an air of experimentation. Business owners are trying new things out in the wild; building the plane while flying.

Our pilots, Katie Hankinson and Mickey Cloud, will be talking to a diverse range of business leaders and founders. They'll explore how these guests tackle various challenges while staying resilient and committed to growth. Through these real-life examples of strategies put into practice, we hope to inspire you to experiment and develop your own strategies as we all navigate these uncertain times together.

Eric Fulwiler is the Chief Marketing & Commercial Officer at 11:FS, a leading global fintech consultancy in London.

As he says in his conversation with Mickey, "you can tell when a company is modern, and when it's not." Through their consulting work, Eric and his team at 11:FS help traditional financial service companies navigate the evolving fintech landscape and bring their businesses into the "truly digital" world.

In this episode, Eric breaks down what it means for a company to be "truly" digital, compared to analog and digitized—and the importance of doing so. He and Mickey also discuss impactful content marketing in a B2B setting, and how it can be used to consistently deliver value to your customers and partners. Eric also shares some advice for growth-stage entrepreneurs, and says one of the best things a growth-stage entrepreneur can do is be hungry for change and be comfortable figuring things out as you grow.

Other in-flight topics:

• Moving from analog to digital
• Digitized vs. Truly Digital
• Building the right team for your business and needs
• Effective content marketing for B2B
• Building relationships through content marketing
• The importance of people and culture

Links:

• Eric's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericfulwiler/
• Eric's Twitter: https://twitter.com/EFulwiler
• 11:FS website: https://11fs.com
• 11:FS YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3eVdgT1EHwIxG5ynO42XXg

Non-profit owners, employees, donors, supporters—this week's episode is for you! There are a lot of assumptions and stigmas surrounding non-profits and what it's like to run them. This week's guests debunk many of those, and show what has made theirs so successful for the last seven years.

Welcome to Building While Flying!

This weekly podcast is brought to you by the Sasha Group. We're the small-to-medium-sized business arm of the VaynerX family of companies. We help ambitious companies build strong brands that flex with the times through strategy, branding, media, and marketing.

In ever-changing times, businesses and brands have to shift and adapt. And across all sectors, there is an air of experimentation. Business owners are trying new things out in the wild; building the plane while flying.

Our pilots, Katie Hankinson and Mickey Cloud, will be talking to a diverse range of business leaders and founders. They'll explore how these guests tackle various challenges while staying resilient and committed to growth. Through these real-life examples of strategies put into practice, we hope to inspire you to experiment and develop your own strategies as we all navigate these uncertain times together.

Shawanda Mason-Moore and Jennifer Holder launched The Chattery in 2014 to fulfill a community need—and one of their own.

As friends who were both new to Chattanooga, they sought a community, a place where adults could learn, grow, and connect. In 2014, they launched The Chattery, a non-profit that makes adult learning accessible, affordable, and fun. Over the last seven years, they've hosted thousands of classes led by hundreds of community members, fostered countless relationships, and created a welcoming, safe space for everyone to learn and grow. And they're just getting started!

In this week's episode, Shawanda and Jennifer share The Chattery's origin story and mission, and explain how their mission drives everything they do—from the classes they offer to the grants they apply for. They also explain how they run their non-profit like a for-profit business (and why that's okay), and why you should be picky when choosing grants. They also discuss how they pivoted during the COVID-19 pandemic, and which of their pivots will be sticking around.

Other in-flight topics:

• Starting a business as a non-profit vs. LLC
• Building friendships and community for adults
• Staying true to your mission
• Transitioning to online and at-home programming
• Opportunity costs of applying for grants
• Preparing for a hybrid model future

Links:

• Website: https://www.thechattery.org/
• Browse classes: https://www.thechattery.org/classes
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thechattery/?hl=en

Agency life is packed full of lessons and experiences you'll take with you on every next step of your career. For this week's podcast guest, those lessons helped him build a multi-million dollar brand that's now a household name and has made a difference in wellness for thousands of people.

Welcome to Building While Flying!

This weekly podcast is brought to you by the Sasha Group. We're the small-to-medium-sized business arm of the VaynerX family of companies. We help ambitious companies build strong brands that flex with the times through strategy, branding, media, and marketing.

In ever-changing times, businesses and brands have to shift and adapt. And across all sectors, there is an air of experimentation. Business owners are trying new things out in the wild; building the plane while flying.

Our pilots, Katie Hankinson and Mickey Cloud, will be talking to a diverse range of business leaders and founders. They'll explore how these guests tackle various challenges while staying resilient and committed to growth. Through these real-life examples of strategies put into practice, we hope to inspire you to experiment and develop your own strategies as we all navigate these uncertain times together.

Mike Grillo is the CEO and co-founder of Gravity Products, home to the world-famous Gravity Blanket.

He's an advertising and marketing industry veteran who began his career in crisis communications before pivoting to social and digital media. In 2011, he became an early member of Gary Vaynerchuk's eponymous agency, VaynerMedia. It's through his time at Vayner that he developed his love of brand building and fostered his entrepreneurial spirit. After founding Gravity Blankets in 2017, Mike and his team sold the brand to the WIN Brands Group in 2021 for its next phase of growth.

In their conversation, Mike and Mickey dive into the birth of Gravity Blankets—from product design to a successful Kickstarter campaign to getting retail space in a large department store. They discuss branding on a budget and embracing the "scrappy" agency attitude to build a successful brand. Mike also discusses the balance of retail and DTC, stressing that people shop in different ways and the consumer journey is often complex. Lastly, Mike shares why WIN Brands Group felt like the perfect fit to acquire Gravity Blankets—and why that decision is so important.

Other in-flight topics:

• Transferable skills from agency to brand side
• Product design and production
• Retail vs DTC
• Importance of strong retail presence
• Branding a new product on a tight budget
• Product expansion and testing what your audience likes
• Finding the right partner to sell your brand

Links:

• Website: https://gravityblankets.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gravityblankets/?hl=en
• Mike's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikegrillzmadeit/?hl=en
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeljgrillo/

Thanks so much for tuning in this week. Before you keep scrolling, we wanted to let you know about a Sasha Group offering that may be relevant to those of you who handle your own digital and social marketing. STORK is a weekly delivery of insider knowledge and strategy, straight from our team and industry experts. We're moving into our second year of STORK, and are really excited to continue helping our community of entrepreneurs, start-ups, and small businesses to step up their social and digital marketing game. If this sounds like a good fit for you, you can learn more here. (link to thesashagroup.com/stork).

There's a nuance between networking and relationship building. While the former can feel superficial and, at times, self-serving, our podcast guest this week explains how the latter can impact your career and life, and how it has helped her grow as a professional and human.

Welcome to Building While Flying!

This weekly podcast is brought to you by the Sasha Group. We're the small-to-medium-sized business arm of the VaynerX family of companies. We help ambitious companies build strong brands that flex with the times through strategy, branding, media, and marketing.

In ever-changing times, businesses and brands have to shift and adapt. And across all sectors, there is an air of experimentation. Business owners are trying new things out in the wild; building the plane while flying.

Our pilots, Katie Hankinson and Mickey Cloud, will be talking to a diverse range of business leaders and founders. They'll explore how these guests tackle various challenges while staying resilient and committed to growth. Through these real-life examples of strategies put into practice, we hope to inspire you to experiment and develop your own strategies as we all navigate these uncertain times together.

Raleigh Anne Gray is the founder and CEO of Must Love Sports, an organization that empowers and educates current and future industry professionals.

She also is the Director of Business Development at DraftKings, following time spent at Wasserman, The Players' Tribune, Twitter, and ESPN. Her career has been a continual intersection of media, technology, and sports. When the COVID-19 pandemic forced companies to cancel summer internships for college students and graduates, Raleigh Anne saw a need and opportunity to pivot. She changed Must Love Sports from an LLC to a 501c3 organization and launched a 10-week online summer internship program for sports industry students impacted by the pandemic.

In her conversation with Mickey, Raleigh Anne breaks down how each step of her career—and the people she's met along the way—influences her work with Must Love Sports. She talks about making side hustles successful and the positive changes she sees coming for women in the sports industry. Most importantly, Raleigh Anne breaks down the nuances between networking and relationship building, and how getting to know people can make a difference in your networking efforts.

Other in-flight topics:

• Networking vs Relationship building
• Being a woman in the sports industry
• Pivoting your business based on need
• Balancing a side hustle with a full-time career
• Applying learnings from your career to your side hustle/passion project
• Emerging female sports broadcasting voices

Links:

• Website: https://www.mustlovesports.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/must-love-sports/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mustlovesportsllc/

If entering the spirits industry—as rookies, no less—were easy, everyone would do it. Childhood best friends JD Recobs and Chris Buglisi are tackling this challenge head on with a unique product: whiskey for everyone.

Welcome to Building While Flying!

This weekly podcast is brought to you by the Sasha Group. We're the small-to-medium-sized business arm of the VaynerX family of companies. We help ambitious companies build strong brands that flex with the times through strategy, branding, media, and marketing.

In ever-changing times, businesses and brands have to shift and adapt. And across all sectors, there is an air of experimentation. Business owners are trying new things out in the wild; building the plane while flying.

Our pilots, Katie Hankinson and Mickey Cloud, will be talking to a diverse range of business leaders and founders. They'll explore how these guests tackle various challenges while staying resilient and committed to growth. Through these real-life examples of strategies put into practice, we hope to inspire you to experiment and develop your own strategies as we all navigate these uncertain times together.

JD Recobs and Chris Buglisi are two of the most unpretentious whiskey guys you'll ever meet.

They created Misunderstood Ginger Spiced Whiskey with one goal in mind: to make the whiskey for whiskey newbies, connoisseurs, and everyone in between. It began as a passion project that they worked on tirelessly after their corporate jobs, and has grown into a strong brand with big plans to keep growing.

In their conversation with Mickey, Chris and JD talk about the early days of Misunderstood Whiskey: experimenting with blends and infusions late at night after working corporate jobs, and many not-great tastings. After landing on the right batch, they took it to market. They discuss the challenges of entering an old, traditional industry with lots of history, and how they discovered their ideal target audience. Mickey asks them about the tension between eagerness to grow and the need to stay patient (spoiler alert: it keeps them up at night). And lastly, Chris and JD give a sneak peek into what's coming up next for Misunderstood Whiskey - including breaking into some new markets!

Other in-flight topics:

• Passion projects
• Entering the spirits industry as rookies
• Breaking into a traditional industry with a new, unique product
• Importance of knowing your audience and customers
• Challenges of national distribution
• Tension between eagerness to grow and patience
• Building and running a business with a friend

Links:

• Website: https://misunderstoodwhiskey.com/
• Locator: https://misunderstoodwhiskey.com/locations
• Insta: https://www.instagram.com/misunderstoodwhiskey/

What experimentation led to becoming your main business?

Live events were one of the biggest casualties of the COVID-19 pandemic. But Daniel Curtis and his teams saw this as an opportunity to slow down, reflect, and find their next path forward.

Welcome to Building While Flying!

This weekly podcast is brought to you by the Sasha Group. We're the small-to-medium-sized business arm of the VaynerX family of companies. We help ambitious companies build strong brands that flex with the times through strategy, branding, media, and marketing.

In ever-changing times, businesses and brands have to shift and adapt. And across all sectors, there is an air of experimentation. Business owners are trying new things out in the wild; building the plane while flying.

Our pilots, Katie Hankinson and Mickey Cloud, will be talking to a diverse range of business leaders and founders. They'll explore how these guests tackle various challenges while staying resilient and committed to growth. Through these real-life examples of strategies put into practice, we hope to inspire you to experiment and develop your own strategies as we all navigate these uncertain times together.

Daniel Curtis learned a lot from the COVID-19 pandemic—about entrepreneurship and himself.

Daniel Curtis has his hand in multiple companies, all dealing with events, community building, and entrepreneurship. He's the Chief Strategy Officer of EMC3, a creative agency specializing in live and virtual event production and speaker management. He's also a co-founder and CSO of Dependable Forces, a company that provides safety, health, and security services for live events; and he's theCSO and co-founder of 5%, an event and education company and community for early-stage entrepreneurs. Those last two companies were born out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In his conversation with Katie, Daniel describes the best gift the pandemic could have given him: the gift of time. It's with this time he was able to slow down, focus, and start two new businesses. He addresses the importance of community for entrepreneurs and the need for a safe space to fail and learn without fear of judgment. Most importantly, Daniel discusses the future of events, post-pandemic, and why the "hybrid" virtual and live will be the way to go. If you're itching to go to events again, this episode is just what you need.

Other in-flight topics:

• How the COVID-19 pandemic impacted live events
• Importance of mentorship and community for entrepreneurs
• Shifting from live events to virtual events
• Balancing your role across multiple companies
• Surrounding yourself with a strong, smart, supportive peer group
• The future of events, post-pandemic
• Defining your purpose as an entrepreneur

Links:

• EMC3 website: https://emc3.com/
• Daniel on LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/danielemc3
• DF website: https://dependable-forces.com/

What event are you looking forward to attending as we come out of pandemic times?

Fixing the broken food system is no piece of cake—but one brand believes they can do it, one bowl of soup at a time.

Welcome to Building While Flying!

This weekly podcast is brought to you by the Sasha Group. We're the small-to-medium-sized business arm of the VaynerX family of companies. We help ambitious companies build strong brands that flex with the times through strategy, branding, media, and marketing.

In ever-changing times, businesses and brands have to shift and adapt. And across all sectors, there is an air of experimentation. Business owners are trying new things out in the wild; building the plane while flying.

Our pilots, Katie Hankinson and Mickey Cloud, will be talking to a diverse range of business leaders and founders. They'll explore how these guests tackle various challenges while staying resilient and committed to growth. Through these real-life examples of strategies put into practice, we hope to inspire you to experiment and develop your own strategies as we all navigate these uncertain times together.

Sara Polon and her team have a bold mission: to make the world better with soup.

Sara Polon is a former standup comedian turned self-taught soupmaker. She and her mother started Soupergirl in 2008, with a mission to fix the broken food system, and share everything they've learned along the way. Their soups are truly one of a kind—made with seasonal ingredients, kosher, vegan, gluten-free, and radically delicious.

In their conversation, Sara and Mickey first dive into Sara's background in comedy, and how those skills help and impact her as a business owner. Then Sara goes deep on the current food system, people's different approaches to food, and how Soupergirl is making a difference, and will continue to do so. Sara also talks about meeting your consumers where they are, and shares how the COVID-19 pandemic forced her and her team to refocus their vision and channel strategy from retail to DTC. At the end of the day, Sara says, as long as they remain focused and understand their vision, we will get there.

If you're craving some soup after listening, head to the Soupergirl website to find where you can buy some near you, or to order some for delivery right to your door.

Other In-flight Topics:

• Standup comedy in New York City
• Starting a business with your mother
• Infusing comedy background as a business owner
• Defining your approach to food
• Fixing the broken food system
• How the COVID-19 forced them to refocus their channel strategies
• How to meet your consumers where they are
• The challenges of communicating a values-focused brand story
• The importance of listening to your consumers

Links:

• Website: https://thesoupergirl.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesoupergirldc/
• Store locator: https://thesoupergirl.com/find-in-stores/
• Order soup for delivery: https://thesoupergirl.com/enter-zip-code/

What previous career did you have to being an entrepreneur and what lessons did you carry over?