The Story of a Brand Show

In the first part of this Feature, we interview siblings Shaz Rajashekar and Kiku Chaudhuri, Co-Founders of Shaz & Kiks. The brand uses the founder's Indian heritage to create nutritious beauty care products.

The sisters talk about the influence of their heritage and upbringing. After visiting family in India, they realized their hair looked so much better. The Indian products they used made that possible. That’s when the sisters decided they need to bring these products to America and start their brand. They talk about how the pandemic hurt their startup. However, they didn’t let that slow them down. Their previous experience working with brands, suppliers, and production gave them the advantage of bringing their brand to market. For them, it was a matter of starting small and slow. In Part 1, we hear about the influence, initial hiccups, and some of the science behind their products.

  Join us while Ramon Vela interviews Shaz & Kiku and listen to them share the inside story of a brand. For more on Shaz & Kiks, visit: https://www.shazandkiks.com/ Klaviyo -  https://www.klaviyo.com/ Retention Science - RetentionScience.com/SOB

In the second part of this Feature, we continue the interview with Adam Hascall, Founder of Rain Parade.  He starts by talking about the tough hurdles of his business.

He faces marketing restrictions due to his company's name, plus it’s hard to deliver chocolate in hot summers, and going through FDA regulations and approvals isn’t easy either. In the beginning, he and his friends put so much sweat equity into the company, but they learned to automate much of the process, which leads to larger margins. Towards the end of the conversation, he talks about some of his other businesses and how they started. He reflects that he is in love with nurturing and growing a business, no matter what it is. In part 2, we hear about the company’s struggles, how some of his other businesses started, and his entrepreneurial spirit.

  Listen in while Ramon Vela and Adam discuss the inside story of a brand. For more, please visit Rain Parade Klaviyo -  https://www.klaviyo.com/ Retention Science - RetentionScience.com/SOB

In the first part of this Feature, we interview Adam Hascall, Founder of Rain Parade.  Rain Parade allows you to send a chocolate male organ anonymously to a friend as a prank.

It started between him and some friends. They made a website, started seeing organic traffic, and realized that they stumbled across a potential business opportunity.  In this interview, he reflects on his upbringing and growing up in a very religious Catholic family. He was always creative and pursued the arts. He got his MBA and then realized that’s not what he wanted. Adam also didn’t want to be forced into a starving artist trope, so he decided to build his own business. He recalls that his father was very embarrassed about his idea but later realized that it really was a business, albeit a very unusual one. In Part 1, we hear about his upbringing, his time at school, his company's birth, and dealing with his religious parents’ reaction to his new company.

  Join us while Ramon Vela interviews Adam, and listen to him, share the inside story of a brand. For more, please visit Rain Parade Klaviyo -  https://www.klaviyo.com/ Retention Science - RetentionScience.com/SOB

In the second part of this Feature, Bob Dalton, the Founder of Sackcloth & Ashes, talks about his company's mission. He’s very passionate about making a difference, and he’s glad that his brand allows him to help.

Their blankets are made of 100% recycled material from Florence, Italy. A local seamstress handmakes and hand-frays each blanket. They want to keep the brand authentic, so they never decided to take it to a large retailer and lose their authenticity. Since they do everything in-house, they have complete flexibility to do whatever they want with each blanket. They found out that two of their patterns appropriated Native American culture, and they discontinued both immediately. Bob sent a sizable donation to a Native American NGO and made a public apology about the blankets. In part 2, we learn about the business side of their operation, the goal with each blanket and their decision to discontinue a blanket they learned was offending Native Americans.

  Join us while Ramon Vela interviews Bob and listen to him, share the inside story. For more on Sackcloth & Ashes, visit: https://sackclothandashes.com/ Retention Science - RetentionScience.com/SOB

In the first part of this Feature, we interview Bob Dalton, the Founder of Sackcloth & Ashes. Sackcloth & Ashes is a unique blanket company that localizes the "buy 1, give 1" model and gives a blanket away to each customer's local homeless shelter with every sale.   He also uses his platform to highlight good things that are happening around the country to combat homelessness. Bob talks about the focus of making a high-quality blanket.   The blankets essentially sell themselves, and it’s his company’s job to tag an important mission onto the blanket and help people across the country. He markets the boxes the blankets come in as well. They can be filled with necessary items and taken to a local homeless shelter. In Part 1, we hear how the company works, some of its decisions, and the early big break with Anthropologie.   Join us while Ramon Vela interviews Bob and listen to him, share the inside story. For more on Sackcloth & Ashes, visit: https://sackclothandashes.com/ Retention Science - RetentionScience.com/SOB

In this second part of this Feature, we continue the conversation with Christopher Cargnoni, Founder of Fresh Pawz.  He starts this part by diving into why his brand works. He notes that fashion is a way to tell an outsider who you are, and the same should be true with your dog. Christopher explains that he is always rolling out new styles so everyone can find the right look for their dog. He mentions how hard it is to get into a retailer with his idea, especially the bigger guys. Even so, you can find their pet clothes in giant retailers like Nordstrom, Macy’s, and Target. His previous life in Michigan didn’t have enough to offer him, which is why he needed to make the big move to L.A. In part 2, we hear about the retail struggles, an in-depth view of why Fresh Pawz works so well, and more information about why Christopher moved to L.A.   Join us while Ramon Vela interviews Christopher in this episode and listen to him share the inside story. For more on Fresh Pawz, visit: https://www.freshpawz.com/ Visit our advertisers: CartText - https://carttext.com/  Retention Science - RetentionScience.com/SOB

In this first part of this Feature, we hear from Christopher Cargnoni, Founder of Fresh Pawz. Fresh Pawz is a streetwear-inspired line of clothing for your pet. He started the company because he was frustrated at the other options the market had to offer. His career involves working for many retail companies, so he knows how to run a retail company. People would give him free rein to build and improve their company, and he saw a lot of success. He would move from one company to the next, doing the same thing. By learning how brands operate, he could comfortably open up his own brand providing a much-needed fashion line for dogs. His eventual move to L.A. was his way of proving to himself that he can do it. In Part 1, we hear about his career path, the brand's initial idea, and his big move to Los Angeles.   Join us while Ramon Vela interviews Christopher in this episode and listen to him share the inside story. For more on Fresh Pawz, visit: https://www.freshpawz.com/ Visit our advertisers: CartText - https://carttext.com/  Retention Science - RetentionScience.com/SOB

In the second part of this Feature, we continue interviewing Mayssa Chehata, Founder of BEHAVE.  She starts off the episode by discussing the process of finding the right ingredients. She realized her cooking abilities wouldn’t allow her to do the R&D required, so she interviewed several food scientists and formulators. From there, she decided that she needed to bring a pastry chef onto the team. Together, they perfected the formula with clean ingredients. Mayssa talks a lot about how her business operates. She discusses the distribution strategy and the selling format. She mentions that after the pandemic goes away, she plans on going into airports, movie theaters, and sports arenas. She is making the best of this situation and still allowing her company to grow. In part 2, we hear how the recipe took shape, the business side of things, and her decision to launch direct-to-consumer.   Join us while Ramon Vela interviews Mayssa and listen to her share the inside story. For more on BEHAVE, visit: https://www.eatbehave.com/ Klaviyo -  https://www.klaviyo.com/ Retention Science - RetentionScience.com/SOB

In the first part of this Feature, we interview Mayssa Chehata, Co-Founder & CEO of BEHAVE.  Behave is a better-for-you candy brand that is sold direct-to-consumer. They combine low sugar and all-natural ingredients without compromising the taste. The company started because Mayssa was tired of the sugary options, and she wanted a healthy way to enjoy sweets. She emphasizes that she created this product for herself, and it blossomed into the company it is today. Mayssa started her career working for the NFL; she went on to work for Uber in its early days, then on the startup team at Daily Harvest, and finally for Soul Cycle. These big companies taught her what it takes to run a business and be an entrepreneur. In Part 1, Mayssa discusses why the company started, how the Pandemic attributed to her success and her unique and impressive career path.   Join us while Ramon Vela interviews Mayssa and listen to her share the inside story. For more on BEHAVE, visit: https://www.eatbehave.com/ Klaviyo -  https://www.klaviyo.com/ Retention Science - RetentionScience.com/SOB

In the second part of this Feature, we continue the conversation with Ashley Thompson, Co-Founder & CEO of MUSH.  She talks about how she eventually got Mush into Whole Foods. It took a lot of grinding and some connections on LinkedIn to get her foot in the door. Of course, going from 10 stores to 150 isn’t easy, as Ashley points out. She recalls the issues with logistics, manufacturing, and processing. This brings her to the big idea that people should pace themselves while their company grows. Her brand is built on health, so she speaks about what goes into making a healthy snack. Before moving into other categories of healthy snacks, she wants to perfect the overnight oats and distribute it even further around the country. In part 2, Ashley highlights the importance of patience and pacing yourself, what goes into making a truly healthy snack, and her experience with building a brand.   Join us while Ramon Vela interviews Ashley and listen to her share the inside story. For more on MUSH, visit: https://eatmush.com/ Retention Science - RetentionScience.com/SOB