ContenderCast with Justin Honaman

Doesn't everyone deserve to look good while wearing an affordable pair of glasses? Thus, Zenni was born in the San Francisco Bay Area - a natural fit in the home of forward-thinking, tech-savvy companies. The mission was clear: Give people glasses they can actually afford but still make them look like a million bucks. It started small, a little company with big ideas, but it quickly grew into a phenomenon! Chief Product Office Bai Gan joins Justin to discuss the brand and how it is growing with consumers!

HowGood is a mission-driven, independent research company with the largest database on food and personal care product sustainability in the industry. With 1,000,000+ products rated, HowGood helps leading retailers and brands improve their environmental and social impact. Typically, brands spend years in R&D figuring out the right mix of ingredients and now, they can get immediate access to a range of insights during product development. CEO and co-founder Alexander Gillett joins Justin to discuss building and growing the business.

Sküma is a UK-based consumer products company that plans on disrupting and transforming the bottled water industry. Their innovative new device promotes the use of tap water rather than buying bottled water by purifying it and adding a specific amount of trace minerals. Co-Founder Alex Mahe joins Justin to discuss launching this new brand in the water category.

Sprecher is a craft beverage manufacturer, focusing on handcrafting soft drinks with rich, creamy flavors since 1985. Sprecher manufactures a broad set of beverage brands from Root Beer to Cream Soda and Valencia Orange water. Come thirsty to this episode as Sprecher's CEO Sharad Chadha joins Justin to discuss growing this beverage brand.

Unbound Merino was created by three lifelong friends who were drawn to the incredible natural benefits of Merino wool. The fabric was perfectly suited for travel, but it was typically designed as high performance outdoor activewear, with flashy logos and unnecessary embellishments. They wanted something that did that and also looked great at a restaurant, in a museum, at a rock concert and out on the town. And thus, Unbound Merino was born. Dan Demsky, co-founder, joins Justin to discuss launching the initial crowdfunding campaign and fueling the fast-growing business.

Begun as an on-line eBay store, the Posh Puppy Boutique went from just selling dog clothing to now carrying a broad range of products and earning the #1 dog boutique ranking on Google. Founder and CEO Jennifer Kirk joins Justin to discuss launching and growing this ecommerce star!

Intellibed is the biggest disruption to the mattress industry in over two decades. The Intellibed is the only mattress in the world that is both firm and soft at the same time. How is that even possible...through it's patented Gel Matrix technology. CEO Colin House joins Justin to discuss the brand, company growth, and his path as a leader and entrepreneur.

Mike Berland is the founder & CEO of research, data, and analytics firm Decode M and is an expert on how people think and behave as consumers, voters, and decision-makers. His new book Maximum Momentum: How to Get It, How to Keep It looks at the drivers of momentum, how to master them, and how to gain and keep it in order to turn crisis into opportunity. Mike joins Justin to discuss how campaigns and companies can leverage data to drive momentum.

charity: water is a non-profit organization bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing countries. The organization's impact can be observed globally as they have funded 56k+ water projects for over 11 million people around the world. MZ Goodman joins Justin to discuss "The Spring" (which is the community of monthly donors bringing clean water to people in need) and their new Lifetime Impact product.

Bio Bidet manufactures modern solutions for "primitive" bathroom challenges and has become America's most popular wholesaler and retailer of bidets. Founded on the principle that "water does it better," Bio Bidet has achieved 400% year-over-year revenue growth from 2019 to 2020. CMO and bidet industry expert James Amburgey joins Justin to discuss the industry and Bio Bidet products!