The Story of a Brand Show

In the second part of this Feature, Mark Mastrandrea (Brazil), Co-Founder at IKONICK, shares with us their process of taking motivational messaging they love and combine it with popular culture and visual content to truly remarkable pieces. IKONICK provides affordable art that helps the everyday-go-getter find the motivation to start the day. Mark's story proves to entrepreneurs that no matter the journey nor the barriers that get in the way nothing is impossible. Taking this idea and turning it into portrait form, the average consumer could take this motivation with them to the office, have it in their home, or whatever space they hope to personalize. Here's the rest of the story.   In part two, Mark discusses The importance of branding and it’s longevity; How to build a consistent pop culture brand in Los Angeles; Selling Art; The importance of using your connections; Building a network; COVID Impacts; And so much more.    Join us while Ramon Vela interviews Mark in Part 2 of this episode and listen to him share the inside story of a brand. For more on IKONICK visit: https://ikonick.com/ Visit our sponsor: Retention Science - RetentionScience.com

In the first part of this Feature, Mark Mastrandrea (Brazil), Co-Founder at IKONICK, comes onto the show to talk about his journey into building the brand, IKONICK. IKONICK was made between Mark and his co-founder Jeff Cole as a way to provide affordable art pieces that always inspire. Through triumphs such as overcoming his high school senior year soccer team to coming from nothing to creating a new company out in Los Angeles, Mark is here to talk about everything you could accomplish when you put your mind to it. Here's his story.   In part one, Mark discusses The Founder’s origin story; Journey to creating IKONICK; Turning your own obstacles into reasons to motivate you; Motivating yourself through in a post-COVID world; Building a company in Los Angeles; And so much more.    Join us while Ramon Vela interviews Mark in Part 1 of this episode and listen to him share the inside story of a brand. For more on IKONICK visit: https://ikonick.com/ Visit our sponsor: Retention Science - RetentionScience.com

In the second part of this Feature, Christian Zeron, Director at Theo & Harris, we get real about perfecting storytelling and how impactful it could really be. As a child, storytelling was ingrained into Christian Zeron’s and we could see why. Christian talks about oral tradition, narratives in entertainment, Anthony Bourdain's Part's Unknown show, and tells us how all of these elements are what makes storytelling in marketing so important. They’re detrimental to the consumer’s emotional connection to your product. Especially for a Watch that could be so heavily weighted in family history, Christian has this strategy locked down through his site, social media, and Youtube channel. Listen in as he brings us through how he does it all with late nights, networking, and hard work. Here's the rest of the story.   In part two, Christian discusses: Shaping your company through your employees; The changing world of the watch economy; Digital marketing; Perfecting your storytelling strategies; The dangers of storytelling; The retail side of Theo & Harris; Advice to young entrepreneurs; And so much more.    Join us while Ramon Vela interviews Christian in Part 2 of this episode and listen to him share the inside story of a brand. For more on Theo & Harris visit: https://theoandharris.com/ Visit our sponsor: Retention Science - RetentionScience.com

In the first part of this Feature, Christian Zeron, Director at Theo & Harris,  shares how he turned his passion for watches into a leading retail company that sells vintage Rolex, Cartier, Omega, and all brands that we’ve heard of before and that many of us know as luxury brands.  He also goes into the intricacies of what it means to be a watch enthusiast. For instance yes, that Cartier watch is expensive, but why is it expensive? At Theo & Harris, you get access to beautiful vintage watches but they also educate you on the story attached to each of their watches. These watches aren’t only meant to last, but they're meant to become a part of our personal life story as consumers.   In the first part, Christian discusses Theo & Harris - what they do; Christian Zeron’s entrepreneurial journey; Building Theo & Harris; The beauty of vintage watches and why they last; The importance of creating the narrative; And so much more.    Join us while Ramon Vela interviews Christian in Part 1 of this episode and listen to him share the inside story of a brand. For more on Theo & Harris visit: https://theoandharris.com/ Visit our sponsor: Retention Science - RetentionScience.com

In the second part of this Feature, Susan Hassett, Founder at Cocktail Sneakers, continues sharing how Cocktail Sneakers is a company that allows women to enjoy high fashion sneakers no matter what time or what event. Susan talks about as a young girl who “loved sneakers,” they were only worn “during athletics.” As the trend of "work-casual" started to become more prevalent, men started to show up to meetings in casual sneakers while women continued to wear heels as business attire. Susan saw this opportunity as a way to create options for all types of women whether they were staying at home, going to meetings, or attending an event. No matter the occasion, Cocktail Shoes will give you the look and feel that you want without stressing over a shoe change. Here's the rest of her story.    In part 2, Susan discusses The intricacies of the design; Creating a unique way to adjust the sizes of the shoe for every woman’s foot; Reaching out to others and the importance of networking; The products - The Outside and the Professional; Writing the product narrative; Bringing it all together; And so much more.    Join us while Ramon Vela interviews Susan in Part 2 of this episode and listen to her share the inside story of a brand. For more on Cocktail Sneakers visit: https://cocktailsneakers.com/ Retention Science - RetentionScience.com

In the first part of this Feature, Susan Hassett, Founder at Cocktail Sneakers, a late-stage DTC brand founder who’s out to break all stigmas that might stand in her way. She shares her story of being a first-time mother who worked hard to provide for her family by starting a telecommunications company.  Who then, after years of working through the shifts in her life, decided to found Cocktail Sneakers about four years ago and absolutely loves it. Susan truly shows how important it is to always work towards your passion no matter what stage of life you’re  Here's their story.    In part 1, Susan discusses Cocktail Sneakers and why it exists; Gender stigmas between sneaker styles and when to wear them; Creating high fashion sneakers for women; Being a first-time mother and entrepreneur; Designing the perfect shoe from sunrise to sunset; Going through the learning curves of business; Journeying to China to meet her manufacturers; And so much more.    Join us while Ramon Vela interviews Susan in Part 1 of this episode and listen to her share the inside story of a brand. For more on Cocktail Sneakers visit: https://cocktailsneakers.com/ Visit our sponsor: Retention Science - RetentionScience.com

In the second part of this Feature, Thomas Lotrecchiano, Co-Founder at Omigo, continues discussing the stigma that holds back more bidets in the United States, but we also get to touch on the importance of taking that leap to entrepreneurship. Caught in a bit of a crossroads, Thomas Lotrecchiano was in between continuing with an MBA in business school or getting real-life experience with his father in creating Omigo. Ultimately, Thomas picked the latter option and is glad to have done so. As a running theme in this show, we know that it’s risky being an entrepreneur but as Thomas states, “there’s always the potential Failure in everything.” It’s better to take that leap into being an entrepreneur because there’s always something to learn and that knowledge is priceless. Here's the rest of the story.    In part two, Thomas discusses: Continuing the conversation on Bidets; Allowing the consumer to make an informed decision; Why Omigo is here to stay; Adjusting to new competitors with new messaging; Breaking tradition; The two product classes of Omigo; The details in the design of Omigo; And so much more.    Join us while Ramon Vela interviews Thomas in Part 2 of this episode and listen to him share the inside story of a brand. For more on Omigo visit: https://myomigo.com/ Retention Science - RetentionScience.com

In the first part of this Feature, Thomas Lotrecchiano, Co-Founder at Omigo, talks about the many ways in which Omigo is here to break tradition. The father and son bidet company revolutionizes the way in which you handle your business by offering you a cleaner more sustainable solution. Co-Founders, Thomas, and his father started the bidet company at what seemed just the right moment. At the start of the pandemic, the impulsive buying of toilet paper left a lot of shoppers thinking "there must be a better way".  With that, Omigo found themselves in a virtual avalanche with what felt like “20x”  the number of orders. As Thomas recalls, during the first wave on March 13th they knew “something was changing.” The pandemic may have finally brought more acceptance of the Bidet in American culture but there's still a long way to go.  And Omigo is ready to keep the conversation going in order to give consumers the clean experience that they deserve. Here's their story.    In the first part, Thomas discusses Omigo and what it is; The origins of the father & son company; The importance of the Bidet; Building, promoting the concept; Creating the conversation and changing the American culture; COVID Impacts; Talking about the Bidet and why it just makes sense; And so much more.    Join us while Ramon Vela interviews Thomas in Part 1 of this episode and listen to him share the inside story of a brand. For more on Omigo visit: https://myomigo.com/ Retention Science - RetentionScience.com

In the second part of this Feature, Shannon Gabor, Founder & Chief Creative Officer of Clever Creative, continues to share that as an independent, female run agency, Clever Creative is dedicated to bringing positive human qualities to everyday brands. As Shannon mentions, it’s important to bring “vulnerability and candor” when a company is trying to express their message to the consumer. Despite what advertising history may say or how stigmatized it is to be truly honest, the connection that’s built through vulnerability and candor is unmatched because people always “remember the human replies.” Throughout the second half of this episode, Shannon talks about this relationship, as well as, what it takes to be the ideal client, the growth of the agency, and advice for future entrepreneurs. Here's the rest of her story.   In part two, Shannon discusses Growing past advertising history; Defining yourself as a Creative; Never get in the way of your own growth; Treating your company as a hospitality business; Tending to your “guests” in relation to hospitality; The ideal client for Clever Creative; The Importance of leading with optimism and good energy; And so much more.    Join us while Ramon Vela interviews Shannon in Part 2 of this episode and listen to her share the inside story of a brand. For more on Clever Creative visit: http://clevercreative.com/ Klaviyo -  https://www.klaviyo.com/ Retention Science - RetentionScience.com

In the first part of this Feature, Shannon Gabor, Founder & Chief Creative Officer of Clever Creative, tells us how Clever wasn't necessarily designed to be all female at first, as Shannon comments, it was a “gift of the pandemic.” Through times like these, it’s important to be introspective and true to your value. With this in mind, Shannon stumbled onto the importance of keeping a tight-knit family that runs Clever Creative. As you’ll hear on the show, Shannon Gabor, a fast-talking creative from Jersey, is not only dedicated to the craft, but she’s dedicated to the relationships she builds throughout her day-to-day running of Clever. Being a brand at Clever Creative doesn’t mean hiring a marketing team, it means partnering with some of the most creative people at a company that not only love their jobs, but love growing with the companies they work with.    In the first part, Shannon discusses Who is Clever Creative; Why Shannon’s “Daria” stage will always be important; Understanding how to use your left and right brain in the best of ways; Choosing your mentors and adopting their wisdom; Adapting to your environment especially as a brand; COVID Impacts; Adapting your company with its surrounding community; And so much more.    Join us while Ramon Vela interviews Shannon in Part 1 of this episode and listen to her share the inside story of a brand. For more on Clever Creative visit: http://clevercreative.com/ Klaviyo -  https://www.klaviyo.com/ Retention Science - RetentionScience.com