The Founder Hour

This episode with Equinox founder, Lavinia Errico was originally released on February 3, 2020. To round out this insane year, we asked our listeners who their 2 favorite episodes of the year were - and this was their top choice! Happy listening!

----

Yearning for an alternative to happy hour after work, a daily routine of a New Yorker in the 1980s, Lavinia Errico and her brothers decided to start a fitness club called Equinox. Though money was tight, they managed to barter their way to growing to several locations before ultimately selling the company. Walking away a self-made millionaire, Lavinia fell into depression. Going through an identity crisis, she set out on a journey to rediscover herself and has since dedicated her life to helping others create more mindful, healthy lives.

SUBSCRIBE TO TFH NEWSLETTER & STAY UPDATED > http://bit.ly/tfh-newsletter

FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM > http://www.instagram.com/thefounderhour

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER > http://www.twitter.com/thefounderhour

INTERESTED IN BECOMING A SPONSOR? EMAIL US > [email protected]

***

Follow The Founder Hour on:

Instagram | www.instagram.com/thefounderhour

Twitter/X | www.x.com/thefounderhour

LinkedIn | www.linkedin.com/company/thefounderhour

YouTube | www.youtube.com/@thefounderhour

Joseph William Foster is the co-founder of Reebok, along with his brother Jeff. His grandfather, who shares his same name, was the founder of J.W. Foster and Sons in 1895 and the pioneer of the spiked running shoe as well as the trainer (sneaker).

The story of Reebok hasn’t really been told until just recently when Joe released his new book “Shoemaker” in October of this year. If you enjoy this conversation, we highly recommend picking up the book. It’s available on Amazon as well as the JW Foster Heritage website if you would like a signed copy (link below).

Throughout the episode, we cover some of what Joe discusses in the book but also dive deeper into some of the experiences and insights he’s gained throughout his incredible journey.

Get “Shoemaker” book: http://www.jwfosterheritage.com/shop-online/shoemaker

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER & STAY UPDATED > http://bit.ly/tfh-newsletter

FOLLOW TFH ON INSTAGRAM > http://www.instagram.com/thefounderhour

FOLLOW TFH ON TWITTER > http://www.twitter.com/thefounderhour

INTERESTED IN BECOMING A SPONSOR? EMAIL US > [email protected]

***

Follow The Founder Hour on:

Instagram | www.instagram.com/thefounderhour

Twitter/X | www.x.com/thefounderhour

LinkedIn | www.linkedin.com/company/thefounderhour

YouTube | www.youtube.com/@thefounderhour

You may know Spencer Rascoff as the co-founder and former CEO of Zillow, the online real estate marketplace which he launched in 2006, but before that he was one of the founders of Hotwire.com. Since stepping down as CEO of Zillow in 2019, Spencer has launched several other new companies including dot.LA, Pacaso Homes, and Supernova Partners which is a SPAC - an acronym for special purpose acquisition company - which has been immensely popular this year and something we talk more about towards the end of the episode. Enjoy!

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER & STAY UPDATED > http://bit.ly/tfh-newsletter

FOLLOW TFH ON INSTAGRAM > http://www.instagram.com/thefounderhour

FOLLOW TFH ON TWITTER > http://www.twitter.com/thefounderhour

INTERESTED IN BECOMING A SPONSOR? EMAIL US > [email protected]

***

Follow The Founder Hour on:

Instagram | www.instagram.com/thefounderhour

Twitter/X | www.x.com/thefounderhour

LinkedIn | www.linkedin.com/company/thefounderhour

YouTube | www.youtube.com/@thefounderhour

Katerina Schneider is the founder and CEO of Ritual, a health technology company that is reinventing the vitamin. Ritual's number one priority is traceability so customers know where all the ingredients come from and why it’s there.

We spoke with Kat about her early days immigrating with her family to the U.S. from the former Soviet Union and living in a welfare hotel in Brooklyn, working at Lehman Brothers on Wall Street during the crash of 2008, leaving her job as a VC to start Ritual when she was 4 months pregnant, her advice for entrepreneurs and what she thinks is the top skill every entrepreneur should have, the issues she sees with the vitamin industry and where it’s headed, and much more!

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER & STAY UPDATED > http://bit.ly/tfh-newsletter

FOLLOW TFH ON INSTAGRAM > http://www.instagram.com/thefounderhour

FOLLOW TFH ON TWITTER > http://www.twitter.com/thefounderhour

INTERESTED IN BECOMING A SPONSOR? EMAIL US > [email protected]

***

Follow The Founder Hour on:

Instagram | www.instagram.com/thefounderhour

Twitter/X | www.x.com/thefounderhour

LinkedIn | www.linkedin.com/company/thefounderhour

YouTube | www.youtube.com/@thefounderhour

Todd Carmichael is the co-founder and CEO of La Colombe Coffee Roasters, one of the most innovative coffee brands ever and the inventor of the first-ever draft latte in a can, which he launched  in 1994.

During our conversation, we cover everything from Todd’s early days growing up in Washington, being a distance runner and finishing a marathon at age 15, working at Starbucks when they had just three locations, why he wanted to start a coffee business and how La Colombe came to fruition, and the unique approach they took to grow the company and pioneer a whole movement within coffee.

Todd also shares what it was like to be the first person ever to walk across Antarctica on his own, a feat he accomplished in 2008, and how that experience shaped the way he approaches life and business.

This was one of the most interesting conversations we’ve had on the show and Todd’s passion and energy are truly infectious. Hope you enjoy it!

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER & STAY UPDATED > http://bit.ly/tfh-newsletter

FOLLOW TFH ON INSTAGRAM > http://www.instagram.com/thefounderhour

FOLLOW TFH ON TWITTER > http://www.twitter.com/thefounderhour

INTERESTED IN BECOMING A SPONSOR? EMAIL US > [email protected]

***

Follow The Founder Hour on:

Instagram | www.instagram.com/thefounderhour

Twitter/X | www.x.com/thefounderhour

LinkedIn | www.linkedin.com/company/thefounderhour

YouTube | www.youtube.com/@thefounderhour

Alan Fuerstman is the Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Montage International, a luxury hospitality management company encompassing Montage Hotels & Resorts, Pendry Hotels & Resorts, Montage Residences, Pendry Residences, and management of some of the country’s premiere golf courses and clubs.

Starting out as a doorman at a Marriott hotel in New Jersey, Alan worked his way up to managing several hotels and was eventually tapped by Steve Wynn to be the opening Vice President of Hotel Operations at Bellagio in Las Vegas before venturing off on his own to launch Montage in 2002.

During our conversation, we talk about everything from Alan’s childhood and college days, how he became interested in hospitality and his advice for those looking to break into the industry today, how his positive attitude and the relationships he built throughout his career helped him when launching his own company, partnering with the founder of eBay to open the first Montage hotel, how the pandemic has impacted Montage as well as the industry in general, what the future of the brand looks like, and much more.

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER & STAY UPDATED > http://bit.ly/tfh-newsletter

FOLLOW TFH ON INSTAGRAM > http://www.instagram.com/thefounderhour

FOLLOW TFH ON TWITTER > http://www.twitter.com/thefounderhour

INTERESTED IN BECOMING A SPONSOR? EMAIL US > [email protected]

***

Follow The Founder Hour on:

Instagram | www.instagram.com/thefounderhour

Twitter/X | www.x.com/thefounderhour

LinkedIn | www.linkedin.com/company/thefounderhour

YouTube | www.youtube.com/@thefounderhour

Sam Polk is the founder and CEO of Everytable, whose mission is to make sure everyone, everywhere has access to nutritious, fresh food at affordable prices.

In this episode, we chat about Sam’s tough upbringing and family life, his college experience and getting kicked out (and reinstated) at Columbia University, working on Wall Street trading bonds and derivatives, leaving Wall Street at the height of his career without a plan, the motivation for founding a non-profit called FEAST, the issues he discovered about food access in America, what led him to start Everytable, his thoughts on non-profit vs. for-profit businesses, Everytable’s innovative business model, and the early challenges of building the company.

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER & STAY UPDATED > http://bit.ly/tfh-newsletter

FOLLOW TFH ON INSTAGRAM > http://www.instagram.com/thefounderhour

FOLLOW TFH ON TWITTER > http://www.twitter.com/thefounderhour

INTERESTED IN BECOMING A SPONSOR? EMAIL US > [email protected]

***

Follow The Founder Hour on:

Instagram | www.instagram.com/thefounderhour

Twitter/X | www.x.com/thefounderhour

LinkedIn | www.linkedin.com/company/thefounderhour

YouTube | www.youtube.com/@thefounderhour

Jaime Schmidt is the founder of Schmidt’s Naturals, the natural personal care brand that she scaled from kitchen to acquisition by Unilever in 2017. In the process, Jaime led a movement of modern brands bringing naturals to the mainstream. Today, the brand is sold in over 30 countries and 30,000 retailers, and Jaime continues to support their global expansion.

Aside from Schmidt’s, Jaime also runs Color, an investment firm that invests directly in emerging founders, primarily women and people of color. In April of this year, she released her new book, “Supermaker: Crafting Business on Your Own Terms,” which follows the growth of the brand and serves as a blueprint for those hoping to scale into a financially successful business.

We had a blast getting to know Jaime and sharing her founder story from growing up in a small town in Michigan to pioneering a global movement of natural products.

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER & STAY UPDATED > http://bit.ly/tfh-newsletter

FOLLOW TFH ON INSTAGRAM > http://www.instagram.com/thefounderhour

FOLLOW TFH ON TWITTER > http://www.twitter.com/thefounderhour

INTERESTED IN BECOMING A SPONSOR? EMAIL US > [email protected]

***

Follow The Founder Hour on:

Instagram | www.instagram.com/thefounderhour

Twitter/X | www.x.com/thefounderhour

LinkedIn | www.linkedin.com/company/thefounderhour

YouTube | www.youtube.com/@thefounderhour

David Rogier is the founder and CEO of MasterClass, an online education platform where users can learn pretty much anything from top experts in their fields, including Serena Williams, Martin Scorsese, Hans Zimmer, Wolfgang Puck, Bob Iger, and many more.

In this episode, we chat about everything David’s childhood and early career, his thoughts on the current state of education and what the future looks like, his approach to finding business ideas, how he ultimately got the idea for MasterClass, his biggest learnings and takeaways after 7 years of running the company, and much more.

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER & STAY UPDATED > http://bit.ly/tfh-newsletter

FOLLOW TFH ON INSTAGRAM > http://www.instagram.com/thefounderhour

FOLLOW TFH ON TWITTER > http://www.twitter.com/thefounderhour

INTERESTED IN BECOMING A SPONSOR? EMAIL US > [email protected]

***

Follow The Founder Hour on:

Instagram | www.instagram.com/thefounderhour

Twitter/X | www.x.com/thefounderhour

LinkedIn | www.linkedin.com/company/thefounderhour

YouTube | www.youtube.com/@thefounderhour