TrepTalks with Sushant

Krish Himmatramka of Do Amore as he explores ethically sourced, high-quality rings crafted from recycled metals and diamonds. Discover the innovative approach of Do Amore, balancing social impact and affordability while discussing the emergence of lab-created diamonds. Krish also shares his personal journey transitioning from engineering to founding Do Amore, emphasizing the significance of cultural alignment and ethical principles in business partnerships. 

Wendy Mackenzie of Everlasting Herb Farm shares her journey of learning and falling in love with herbal skincare products and starting a side-hustle which grew organically and allowed her to quit her teaching job. Wendy talks about creating an award winning natural deodorant formula and shares the advice of keeping things simple at the beginning. 

Nikki Smith, founder of Jewelry Brand Nikki Smith Designs shares her journey of hand crafting jewelry pieces as a side-hustle when she couldn't find modern, affordable jewelry pieces to wear to work. Nikki focused on slow, organic growth and learned about customer preferences by selling at pop-up shops and farmer's market and slowly growing her product collection while focusing on profitability. Nikki talks about organic growth, retail expansion, and business lessons learned. 

Scott Unkefer, founder of Just Panela, shares the story of living in Colombia and discovering Panela Sugar in coffee shops and the health benefits compared to refined sugar widely used in the West. Scott shares his journey of bringing the product to the western market, challenges in supply chain, educating the consumer of the benefits, price point, and success on Amazon. 

Chris Clearman, founder of Matador, a high-performance travel equipment company shares his background as a product designer working at GoPro and deciding to start his own company. Matador creates innovative, high-quality, and functional products for the adventure traveler market. Chris shares his experiences in gaining early traction through design and tech blogs reach out, as well as having a good marketing strategy along with a great product. 

Chris Vandersluis, founder of HMS Software, shares the evolution of his Business HMS software which he started in 1984. Chris and his team focused on Project Management software and after finding a need for a time sheet system for their customers, built their product TimeControl to meet customer needs. Chris shares his business lessons over the last 40 years including working with partners and investors as well as taking a long-term vide and organic growth for his business. 

Josh Thurmond, the founder of LavaBox, shares the inspiration behind his innovative portable campfire. Thurmond shares the challenges, triumphs, and the key lessons learned in creating a high-quality outdoor product. His determination led to the unique design of Lava Box. Learn how his personal camping experience and market understanding played a pivotal role and explore the key features that make Lava Box stand out: compact size, high heat output, and an appealing design. 

Ishan Dutta, Founder of Ugly Duckling Color shares how he transitioned from the corporate work at L'Oréal to finding an unmet need and niche in the Hair Color products category which inspired him to start his own business. Ishaan shares details about hair color industry, customer preferences, as well as insights on marketing. 

Ronnie Teja, founder of Branzio Watches shares his entrepreneurial journey of going from a corporate career to building a high-quality but affordable watch brand Branzio. Ronnie shares his lessons in branding and setting your products apart in a highly competitive category. 

Braxton Fleming, founder of Stealth Bros & Co. shares the personal story of transitioning and how not being able to find suitable Dopp Kits for hormone replacement therapy medications became the inspiration behind the products and the brand. Braxton talks about transgender experiences, starting a business with no experience, building a community, expanding to CVS, Shark Tank experience and much more.