Going Deep with Aaron Watson

Meredith Meyer Grelli is the co-founder of Wigle Whiskey, the first Pittsburgh distillery since Prohibition. Wigle’s spirits are distributed throughout the country and the distillery has been the most awarded Craft Whiskey Distillery in the US for four straight years. 

Meredith and her team have followed up the success of Wigle with Threadbare Cider & Mead.

In this conversation, Aaron and Meredith discuss what it takes to build a strong team, why they develop so many different product lines, and the importance of engaging with the community.

Never miss one of our best episodes by subscribing to the newsletter.

Meredith’s Challenge; Write a thank you note to someone every morning.

Connect with Meredith

Linkedin

Connect with Wigle Whiskey

Facebook

Instagram

Connect with Threadbare Cider House

Facebook

Instagram

If you liked this interview, check out episode 382 with Barry Young where we discuss distilling vodka and episode 232 with Christian Simmons where we discuss selling craft spirits.

Underwritten by Piper Creative

A digital agency that provides strategy, delivery, and analysis specializing in a few key service offerings.

Vlogging

Podcasting

Linkedin Video

If you aren’t creating or curating content regularly, your clients and customers might forget you’re open for business.

YouTube

Instagram

Subscribe on iTunes | Stitcher |

The best way to prepare to run your own startup is to learn from one of the best. Ajay Kori got to work under Marc Lore and learn from an eCommerce master before launching his own company. 

Ajay founded UrbanStems in 2014 to fix a flower delivery industry that was institutionally broken. The company offers same-day, on-demand delivery in New York & DC, while offering nationwide next-day shipping. 

The company has raised millions of dollars from top VC firms including SWaN & Legend, The Motley Fool, Kevin Plank & Under Armour, and NextGenVentures. 

In this discussion, you’ll hear Aaron & Ajay discuss the challenges associated with scaling a team, the meta-entrepreneurial skill set that can apply anywhere, and what was broken about the flower business.

Ajay’s Challenge; Keep a journal where you write down what you’re grateful for every day.

Connect with Ajay

Instagram

Linkedin

UrbanStems Website

[email protected]

If you liked this interview, check out episode 340 with Craig Markovitz where we discuss building $300M in shareholder value, commercializing technology out of universities, and finding a purpose behind your business.

ALLEN GANNETT KEYNOTE

https://youtu.be/8XKHw5MyHSE

Underwritten by Piper Creative

Piper Creative creates podcasts, vlogs, and videos for companies. 

Our clients become better storytellers. 

How? Click here and Learn more.

We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.

Sign up for one of Piper’s weekly newsletters. We curate links to Expand your Mind, Fill your Heart, and Grow your Tribe.

Follow Piper as we grow

YouTube

Instagram

Subscribe on iTunes | Stitcher |

How do you catalyze change within a large organization? Sarah Ahmad shares her insights from in the trenches.

Sarah is the senior VP of innovation and transformation strategy for Pittsburgh’s Highmark Health, a national health and wellness organization, and America’s second-largest integrated delivery and financing system. 

Sarah Ahmad leads Highmark Health’s effort to transform health care by developing innovative health solutions and value-based, high-quality health experiences for their customers and communities across the U.S.

Since joining Highmark Health in 2017, Sarah has evolved the Highmark Health VITAL Innovation Program into a revenue-generating test-and-learn platform that provides health solution companies, health plans and other stakeholders with robust evidence related to patient experience, care outcomes and cost impact. This means solutions can be covered and utilized faster—accelerating both their availability to patients and their adoption in the broader

healthcare marketplace.

Never miss one of our best episodes by subscribing to the newsletter.

Connect with Sarah

Linkedin

Vital Innovation Website

If you liked this interview, check out more interviews with leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators in Pittsburgh.

Underwritten by Piper Creative

A digital agency that provides strategy, delivery, and analysis specializing in a few key service offerings.

Vlogging

Podcasting

Linkedin Video

If you aren’t creating or curating content regularly, your clients and customers might forget you’re open for business.

YouTube

Instagram

Subscribe on iTunes | Stitcher | Overcast | PodBay 

David Passavant is the CEO of Numo, a subsidiary company of PNC Bank. Numo is tasked with funding innovative technologies that can meaningfully move PNC’s business forward.

In this conversation, Aaron interviews David about what life is life running a corporate-backed financial technology incubator in Pittsburgh and how David found his way into the role.

David has been the CEO of Numo for 2.5 years and has recently launched its first two products. Great episode for anyone interested in corporate innovation strategies and careers.

Never miss one of our best episodes by subscribing to the newsletter.

David’s Challenge; Be an original thinker.

Connect with David

Linkedin

Numo.com

If you liked this interview, check out episode 356 with Toni Murphy where we discuss negotiating a large enterprise as you build your career. You might also like this interview with Joe Lubin, the co-founder of Ethereum, on the future of cryptocurrency and financial technologies.

Underwritten by Piper Creative

Piper Creative creates podcasts, vlogs, and videos for companies. 

Our clients become better storytellers. 

How? Click here and Learn more.

We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.

Sign up for one of Piper’s weekly newsletters. We curate links to Expand your Mind, Fill your Heart, and Grow your Tribe.

Follow Piper as we grow

YouTube

Instagram

Subscribe on iTunes | Stitcher | Overcast |

Lily D is an ASMR YouTuber. What does that mean? Listen to the podcast to find out. 

ASMR helps with anxiety and insomnia. Lily started making ASMR videos in 2013 and has racked up over 65 million views of her videos.

In this conversation, Aaron and Lily discuss how she got started, the positive & negative messages she receives, and what the future holds for a brand built around an individual.

Never miss one of our best episodes by subscribing to the newsletter.

Lily’s Challenge; Try deleting Instagram (or your most used social network) for a week.

Connect with Lily

Linkedin

Twitter

Instagram

YouTube

If you liked this interview, check out episode 386 with Jon Shanahan where we discuss men’s fashion, learning from working in a corporate environment, and how he’s built a YouTube following.

Underwritten by Piper Creative

Piper Creative creates podcasts, vlogs, and videos for companies. 

Our clients become better storytellers. 

How? Click here and Learn more.

We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.

Sign up for one of Piper’s weekly newsletters. We curate links to Expand your Mind, Fill your Heart, and Grow your Tribe.

Follow Piper as we grow

YouTube

Instagram

Subscribe on iTunes | Stitcher | Overcast | PodBay 

Dave Nelsen has been a successful CEO in multiple businesses. Two of his startups, CoManage and TalkShoe, raised more than $70 million in angel and venture funding.

He has since moved into a full-time speaking career, traveling to country to share his perspective on Social Media for Business and Technology for Executives.

In this conversation, Dave and Aaron discuss how Dave went from a large corporation to a startup, where Dave found the ideas for his companies, and how he launched his speaking career.

Valuable listen for any aspiring entrepreneur. 

Never miss one of our best episodes by subscribing to the newsletter.

Dave’s Challenge; Do more listening.

Connect with Dave

Linkedin

Website

412-779-2788

If you liked this interview, check out episode 362 with Jason Wolfe where we discuss multiple successful startups, investing, and leadership.

Underwritten by Piper Creative

Piper Creative creates podcasts, vlogs, and videos for companies. 

Our clients become better storytellers. 

How? Click here and Learn more.

We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.

Sign up for one of Piper’s weekly newsletters. We curate links to Expand your Mind, Fill your Heart, and Grow your Tribe.

Follow Piper as we grow

YouTube

Instagram

Subscribe on iTunes | Stitcher | Overcast | PodBay 

Matt Stroud is the co-founder & CEO of Postindustrial Media. His new media startup is aiming to change the tenor of journalism in the Midwest.

He’s come a long way since founding a bimonthly magazine, called Deek, out of his basement apartment while enrolled full-time at the University of Pittsburgh.

Matt has written short- and long-form journalism for Esquire, Harper’s, The Atlantic, Buzzfeed, Politico, The New York Times, and Reuters, and held staff writer positions with the Associated Press and Bloomberg Businessweek. 

In this conversation, Matt & Aaron discuss new media, recruiting team members, and Matt’s reporting on policing technologies.

Never miss one of our best episodes by subscribing to the newsletter.

Matt’s Challenge; Ignore political campaign polls and pay attention to where government dollars are spent.

Connect with Matt

Linkedin

Twitter

Website

Matt’s Book

Thin Blue Lie: The Failure of High-Tech Policing by Matt Stroud

If you liked this interview, check out our interview with Todd Bishop about running a bootstrapped media business, our interview with Chance Humphrey about Instagram and photography, and our interview with Jon Shanahan about building a men’s fashion YouTube channel.

Underwritten by Piper Creative

Piper Creative creates podcasts, vlogs, and videos for companies. 

Our clients become better storytellers. 

How? Click here and Learn more.

We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.

Sign up for one of Piper’s weekly newsletters. We curate links to Expand your Mind, Fill your Heart, and Grow your Tribe.

Follow Piper as we grow

YouTube

In the past, magazines like Vogue & GQ were exclusively at the epicenter of fashion and style. They alone could play kingmaker to the tastes, trends, and brands clothing of an entire culture.

Today, the influence has been disseminated to a broad swath of creators and media outlets with their own perspective. Jon Shanahan saw this opportunity coming and has staked a claim with his brand, The Kavalier.

He started a YouTube channel more than 4 years ago and now creates content full-time reviewing menswear.

In this conversation, you’ll learn how Jon got started, the intentional approach he takes to his style, and the patience & discipline required to break through.

Never miss one of our best episodes by subscribing to the newsletter.

Jon’s Challenge; Throw out the clothes in your wardrobe that you’re not excited about. Tailor the clothes that don’t fit just right.

Connect with Jon

Instagram

Website

The Kavalier on Youtube

Jon’s 2nd channel

If you liked this interview, check out episode 318 with Brad Driscoll where we discuss building a following on Twitch, starting an SEO business, and the value of persistence.

Underwritten by Piper Creative

Piper Creative creates podcasts, vlogs, and videos for companies. 

Our clients become better storytellers. 

How? Click here and Learn more.

We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.

Sign up for one of Piper’s weekly newsletters. We curate links to Expand your Mind, Fill your Heart, and Grow your Tribe.

Follow Piper as we grow

YouTube

Instagram

Subscribe on iTunes | Stitcher

For half a century, women wore bras that had been designed by men. Sophia Berman knew there had to be a better way.

She’s spent that last 3 years launching and growing Trusst Lingerie, a company that has re-engineered the bra for larger-busted women.

In this conversation, Aaron and Sophia discuss what she’s learned about running a company, how 3-D printing failed to live up to the hype, and how to develop a product and take customer feedback.

Never miss one of our best episodes by subscribing to the newsletter.

Sophia’s Challenge; Allocate some time every single day to learning something new.

Connect with Sophia

Linkedin

Instagram

Facebook

Website

If you liked this interview, check out episode 36 with Sophia where we discussed her Kickstarter campaign and her vision for the company.

Underwritten by Piper Creative

Piper Creative creates podcasts, vlogs, and videos for companies. 

Our clients become better storytellers. 

How? Click here and Learn more.

We work with Fortune 500s, medium-sized companies, and entrepreneurs.

Sign up for one of Piper’s weekly newsletters. We curate links to Expand your Mind, Fill your Heart, and Grow your Tribe.

Follow Piper as we grow

YouTube

Instagram

Subscribe on iTunes | Stitcher | Overcast | PodBay 

We had a guest no-call/no-show. No fun.

HP & I made the best of it by recording a podcast reflecting on Piper Creative being 18 months old, our hardest days of the process, and how great our team is.

Hope you have a lovely day.