Business Growth Podcast

LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE IF YOU FEEL STUCK AT YOUR CURRENT LEVEL, EVEN THOUGH YOU REALLY WANT MORE

What if the thing holding your business back isn’t your marketing, your offers, or your strategy… but you?

This episode is for the founder who feels like they’ve been operating at the same level for too long. You’re putting in effort, you know what to do, but something just isn’t clicking.

We’re flipping the script from strategy to self, and breaking down how your mindset, fears, and internal patterns might be the very thing keeping you from your next level.

If you’ve been chasing growth but feel stuck in the same range, this will give you the clarity (and the call-out) you need to finally move forward.

In this episode:

•Why being stuck isn’t always a strategy problem

• The hidden ways founders hold themselves back without realizing it

• What it actually means to “become the person” your next level requires

• How your brain interprets growth as risk (and how that impacts your actions)

• Why discomfort is actually a signal that you’re growing

• The difference between having the playbook vs becoming the player

• How fear, overthinking, and hesitation kill momentum

• How to shorten the gap between decision and action

• The role of personal growth in scaling your business

• How your past experiences and core fears shape your current ceiling

• How to identify what you’re avoiding (and why that’s the key)

📌 Have a question you want featured next time? Join the free podcast community below!

Topics we discuss: business growth, e-commerce strategy, how to scale your product business, business economy tips, overcoming sales plateaus

JOIN THE FOUNDER CAFE FREE COMMUNITY // CLICK HERE

FREE TRAININGS // CLICK HERE TO BROWSE

EXPLORE PROGRAM & SERVICES // CLICK HERE

APPLY TO WORK WITH ME // CLICK HERE

FOLLOW MADI ON INSTAGRAM // @thisismadisonpaige

In this episode of The Business Growth Podcast, we’re diving into a real life case study of what it actually looks like to build a brand from the ground up and scale it into a nine figure business.

I’m joined by Dr. Brent Ridge, co-founder of Beekman 1802. A brand that has sold over 60 million bars of soap and built its success on something most businesses overlook: community and kindness.

We break down what it really takes to grow through different stages of business. From early scrappy days to mass market scale and how to think about building a value driven brand in today’s attention economy.

This conversation is part strategy, part philosophy, and part masterclass on how to stand out in even the most saturated industries. If you’re building a product based business, this episode will completely shift how you think about growth, differentiation, and long term brand loyalty.

In this episode:

•What it actually looked like to scale Beekman 1802 into a nine figure brand

• How to build a brand rooted in community, not just transactions

• Why “kindness” became their most powerful marketing strategy

• How to stand out in a saturated market

• The importance of storytelling and brand positioning in early growth

• How to capture attention in today’s 3-second attention economy

• What founders should focus on at different revenue stages (from $500K → $50M+)

• The reality of scaling through retail, distribution, and DTC

• Why TikTok Shop and live selling are massive opportunities right now

• The biggest bottlenecks founders hit as they scale

• How to build emotional connection that drives repeat customers

• The small brand details that create massive impact over time

• How to build a community that markets your business for you

Connect with Brent and shop Beekman 1802:

Instagram: @beekman1802 @joshandbrentWebsite: beekman1802.com

📌 Have a question you want featured next time? Join the free podcast community below!

Topics we discuss: business growth, e-commerce strategy, how to scale your product business, business economy tips, overcoming sales plateaus

JOIN THE FOUNDER CAFE FREE COMMUNITY // CLICK HERE

FREE TRAININGS // CLICK HERE TO BROWSE

EXPLORE PROGRAM & SERVICES // CLICK HERE

APPLY TO WORK WITH ME // CLICK HERE

FOLLOW MADI ON INSTAGRAM // @thisismadisonpaige

LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE IF BUSINESS DOESN’T FEEL AS FUN AS WHEN YOU STARTED

In this episode of The Business Growth Podcast, we’re talking about a phase of business that no one really prepares you for: When your business is growing, but it stops feeling exciting.

So many founders hit a point where things are finally working… but instead of feeling better, it feels heavier. More responsibility, more pressure, more things on your plate and less excitement. Behind the scenes, you feel disconnected, uninspired, or like you accidentally created a job for yourself instead of the freedom you wanted.

In this episode, I’m breaking down why this happens, what’s actually causing it, and how to restructure your role so your business feels energizing again. Not draining.

In this episode:

• The real reason founders start feeling uninspired
• The mistake most people make when delegating
• The difference between draining tasks vs energizing work
• How to identify your true “zone of genius”
• Why hiring for your strengths can backfire
• What to delegate vs what to protect at all costs
• How to redesign your role as a founder
• The simple audit to figure out what’s draining you
• How to bring creativity and spark back into your business
• The importance of building a role you actually enjoy
• Why feeling uninspired doesn’t mean you built the wrong business
• How to rebuild your business in a way that feels aligned again

📌 Have a question you want featured next time? Join the free podcast community below!

Topics we discuss: business growth, e-commerce strategy, how to scale your product business, business economy tips, overcoming sales plateaus

JOIN THE FOUNDER CAFE FREE COMMUNITY // CLICK HERE

FREE TRAININGS // CLICK HERE TO BROWSE

EXPLORE PROGRAM & SERVICES // CLICK HERE

APPLY TO WORK WITH ME // CLICK HERE

FOLLOW MADI ON INSTAGRAM // @thisismadisonpaige

In this episode of The Business Growth Podcast, we’re diving into how to turn your emails from just “good” into actually driving conversions and profit.

I’m joined by Kieryn Wang, email marketing specialist for product-based brands, and this conversation is a full breakdown of what’s actually working in email right now.

From subject lines to funnels to unsubscribes, this episode will completely shift how you think about email marketing. Not as a checkbox, but as one of your highest converting channels.

If you’ve been sending emails but not seeing real results… or avoiding email altogether, this is your masterclass.

In this episode:

• How to sell through email without sounding “salesy”
• Why most brands get email marketing completely wrong
• The psychology behind high converting subject lines
• The difference between nurture emails vs sales emails
• The ideal ratio of value vs promotion
• The 4 essential email funnels every brand needs
• What actually makes a welcome sequence convert
• How to structure abandoned cart emails that actually recover sales
• The role of personality, storytelling, and brand voice in email
• How often you should really be sending emails
• The difference between funnels vs broadcast emails
• What metrics actually matter (and what to ignore)
• How to turn your email strategy from “checking the box” into a revenue driver

Connect with Kieryn:

Website: www.itsallmost.com

Instagram: @itsallmost

Inbox to Revenue Toolkit: CLICK HERE

📌 Have a question you want featured next time? Join the free podcast community below!

Topics we discuss: business growth, e-commerce strategy, how to scale your product business, business economy tips, overcoming sales plateaus

JOIN THE FOUNDER CAFE FREE COMMUNITY // CLICK HERE

FREE TRAININGS // CLICK HERE TO BROWSE

EXPLORE PROGRAM & SERVICES // CLICK HERE

APPLY TO WORK WITH ME // CLICK HERE

FOLLOW MADI ON INSTAGRAM // @thisismadisonpaige

LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE IF YOU’VE EVER WONDERED HOW YOU KNOW WHEN A BUSINESS WILL WORK

In this episode of The Business Growth Podcast, we’re answering one of the most important questions founders ask: How do you actually know if your business has proof of concept?

This question came from one of you inside The Founder Cafe free community, and it’s one that determines whether you keep going, pivot, or go all in. Because at some point, the excitement fades… and you’re left asking if this is something worth truly scaling.

In this episode, I break down how to identify real proof of concept. Not based on hype, revenue spikes, or gut feelings, but on clear, repeatable signals from your market.

If you’re in that in-between stage and want clarity on whether your business is actually built to scale, this episode will give you the answer.

In this episode:

• What proof of concept actually means (and what it doesn’t)
• Why revenue milestones don’t automatically validate your business
• The difference between hype driven sales vs real demand
• The 3 key signals that show your business has proof of concept
• How to evaluate organic demand for your product
• Why community engagement reveals deeper market interest
• The role of emotional connection in scalable brands
• How to assess your competitors and market saturation
• Why trends and timing impact your ability to scale
• The biggest mistake founders make when scaling too early
• How to know if you’re still in the testing phase
• Why proof of concept is about patterns, not one time wins

📌 Have a question you want featured next time? Join the free podcast community below!

Topics we discuss: business growth, e-commerce strategy, how to scale your product business, business economy tips, overcoming sales plateaus

JOIN THE FOUNDER CAFE FREE COMMUNITY // CLICK HERE

FREE TRAININGS // CLICK HERE TO BROWSE

EXPLORE PROGRAM & SERVICES // CLICK HERE

APPLY TO WORK WITH ME // CLICK HERE

FOLLOW MADI ON INSTAGRAM // @thisismadisonpaige

LISTEN TO THIS IF YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE CONSTANTLY CHASING NEW CUSTOMERS

In this episode of The Business Growth Podcast, we’re diving into one of the most overlooked metrics that determines whether a product-based business will actually scale profitably: customer retention.

We talk about how retention changes the entire economics of your business, why it’s the key signal that your brand actually has demand, and how to start building a system that turns one time buyers into loyal, repeat customers.

If you want your brand to grow in a way that feels predictable, profitable, and compounding instead of exhausting, this episode is a must listen.

In this episode:

• The hidden metric that predicts whether your brand can scale profitably
• Why many founders feel stuck on a “growth treadmill”
• The biggest mistake brands make when trying to scale
• How retention transforms revenue from transactional to compounding
• The key drivers behind strong customer retention
• Why product satisfaction is the foundation of repeat purchases
• Why community driven brands grow faster
• The most important purchase a customer will ever make
• What healthy retention rates actually look like
• The simple way to audit your retention rate today

📌 Have a question you want featured next time? Join the free podcast community below!

Topics we discuss: business growth, e-commerce strategy, how to scale your product business, business economy tips, overcoming sales plateaus

JOIN THE FOUNDER CAFE FREE COMMUNITY // CLICK HERE

FREE TRAININGS // CLICK HERE TO BROWSE

EXPLORE PROGRAM & SERVICES // CLICK HERE

APPLY TO WORK WITH ME // CLICK HERE

FOLLOW MADI ON INSTAGRAM // @thisismadisonpaige

In this episode of The Business Growth Podcast, we’re diving into one of the most debated questions in product-based businesses: Should your brand be on Amazon?

I’m joined by Nik Hall, founder of Revive Amazon Partners and a former CPG operator who built and exited an eight-figure gummy vitamin brand. Nik has spent years helping brands scale on Amazon, and in this conversation we break down the good, the bad, and the ugly of selling on the platform.

We talk about when Amazon actually makes sense for your brand, how to stand out in saturated categories, and what most founders get wrong when they launch on the platform. From listing optimization and product differentiation to ad strategy and channel selection, this episode is packed with practical insights for brands that want to use Amazon as a real growth channel.

In this episode:

• Should your brand actually be selling on Amazon or avoiding it?
• The types of products that struggle to succeed on the platform
• How to identify product gaps using competitor reviews and data
• The real reason Amazon shoppers convert at much higher rates
• The biggest listing mistakes that cause brands to get buried in search
• How to structure your images and listings to win the click
• When Amazon should be your first sales channel vs an expansion strategy
• The price points that tend to perform best on Amazon
• Why many brands are actually more profitable on Amazon than DTC
• The ad structure mistake that keeps most brands stuck and plateaued
• How AI is already changing how consumers shop on Amazon

Connect with Nik:

Website: https://revivemarketingpartners.com/LinkedIn: @NikHall

📌 Have a question you want featured next time? Join the free podcast community below!

Topics we discuss: business growth, e-commerce strategy, how to scale your product business, business economy tips, overcoming sales plateaus

JOIN THE FOUNDER CAFE FREE COMMUNITY // CLICK HERE

FREE TRAININGS // CLICK HERE TO BROWSE

EXPLORE PROGRAM & SERVICES // CLICK HERE

APPLY TO WORK WITH ME // CLICK HERE

FOLLOW MADI ON INSTAGRAM // @thisismadisonpaige

LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE IF YOU WOULD SAY YOU’RE BUZZING ALL THE TIME WITH 10 THOUGHTS AT ONCE

In this episode of The Business Growth Podcast, we’re having a very real conversation about something many entrepreneurs quietly experience but rarely talk about: nervous system dysregulation.

I’m sharing a personal case study from my own life and business. For years I believed that feeling wired, overstimulated, and mentally “on” all the time was simply part of being an entrepreneur. But what I eventually realized was that my nervous system had been stuck in fight-or-flight mode and it was impacting how I worked, how I rested, and how I lived.

In this episode, I walk through the exact changes I made over the past six months to regulate my nervous system, reduce the constant mental noise, and create a version of entrepreneurship that actually feels sustainable.

In this episode:

• What nervous system dysregulation actually is
• The subtle signs your nervous system may be overwhelmed
• Why feeling “busy” or constantly buzzing isn’t actually normal
• The surprising ways overstimulation shows up in daily habits
• The connection between blood sugar, hormones, and nervous system health
• Why social media consumption can spike cortisol and stress
• The device I use to block social media and reduce digital overload
• How practicing stillness retrains your brain to tolerate calm
• The unexpected change that had the biggest impact on my nervous system
• Why weekends of true rejuvenation improve productivity and creativity
• How nervous system regulation can help you build a sustainable business

📌 Have a question you want featured next time? Join the free podcast community below!

Topics we discuss: business growth, e-commerce strategy, how to scale your product business, business economy tips, overcoming sales plateaus

JOIN THE FOUNDER CAFE FREE COMMUNITY // CLICK HERE

FREE TRAININGS // CLICK HERE TO BROWSE

EXPLORE PROGRAM & SERVICES // CLICK HERE

APPLY TO WORK WITH ME // CLICK HERE

FOLLOW MADI ON INSTAGRAM // @thisismadisonpaige

In this episode of The Business Growth Podcast, we’re breaking down what it actually means to build a mission driven brand and how your values can become one of the strongest growth strategies in your business.

Today I’m joined by Kate Assaraf, founder of DIP Hair Care, a hyper sustainable hair and body care brand that has taken a radically different approach to growth, retail, and community building.

Instead of following the traditional playbook of Amazon launches, influencer seeding, and aggressive discounting, Kate built DIP by leaning into values: sustainability, protecting small retailers, and revitalizing local economies.

This conversation is a real case study in how mission-driven brands grow differently. We talk about everything from greenwashing and pricing integrity to building community through retail partnerships. And even how sustainability brands should be thinking about AI.

In this episode:

• Why DIP chose not to sell on Amazon and how that became a growth strategy
• How refill stores and zero waste shops are revitalizing local economies
• Why mission driven brands build stronger communities
• How to turn your values into a business growth strategy
• The truth about sustainability backlash and how to navigate it
• What greenwashing actually is (and how brands accidentally do it)
• How Kate handles criticism while staying convicted in her brand
• Why protecting your pricing integrity matters more than discounts
• The hidden problem with the “discount spiral” many DTC brands fall into
• How DIP built a powerful retail partner ecosystem instead of influencer marketing
• Why community driven brands are thriving in an AI driven world
• How small businesses can use AI as a tool without losing human connection
• Why mission driven businesses must prioritize patience and long term thinking

Check out and shop DIP Hair Care:

Website: https://dipalready.com/

Instagram: @dipalready

📌 Have a question you want featured next time? Join the free podcast community below!

Topics we discuss: business growth, e-commerce strategy, how to scale your product business, business economy tips, overcoming sales plateaus

JOIN THE FOUNDER CAFE FREE COMMUNITY // CLICK HERE

FREE TRAININGS // CLICK HERE TO BROWSE

EXPLORE PROGRAM & SERVICES // CLICK HERE

APPLY TO WORK WITH ME // CLICK HERE

FOLLOW MADI ON INSTAGRAM // @thisismadisonpaige

Buyers aren’t just Googling anymore. They’re asking ChatGPT. They’re reading AI overviews. They’re looking for recommendations in conversational search and that changes everything for consumer brands.

In this episode of The Business Growth Podcast, I’m joined by Leah Nurik. Co-founder and CEO of Brandi AI, the leading AI visibility and generative engine optimization platform.

We break down what AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) and GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) actually mean, how they differ from traditional SEO, and what product brands need to be doing right now to stay visible.

This episode is a masterclass in how AI search works, where it pulls information from, and how you can optimize your brand before your competitors do.

In this episode:

• What AEO and GEO actually are (and how they differ from SEO)
• Why buyers now ask AI before they ask Google
• How AI decides which brands to recommend
• The difference between ranking in search vs being summarized in AI
• Why earned media and authority matter more than ever
• The myths brands believe about AI visibility
• Whether you really need a blog and what makes a blog “good”
• Why AI-generated content can hurt you long term
• How to audit how your brand currently shows up in AI
• The role of sentiment and narrative control in AI results
• Why schema markup is an overlooked superpower
• How startups can outrank bigger brands in AI search
• Where AEO and GEO are heading in the next 12–24 months

Connect with Leah:

Website: https://mybrandi.ai/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leahgabriel

📌 Have a question you want featured next time? Join the free podcast community below!

Topics we discuss: business growth, e-commerce strategy, how to scale your product business, business economy tips, overcoming sales plateaus

JOIN THE FOUNDER CAFE FREE COMMUNITY // CLICK HERE

FREE TRAININGS // CLICK HERE TO BROWSE

EXPLORE PROGRAM & SERVICES // CLICK HERE

APPLY TO WORK WITH ME // CLICK HERE

FOLLOW MADI ON INSTAGRAM // @thisismadisonpaige