Built on Passion

Problems are opportunities in disguise if you know how to solve them. Take Mark Koep as an example. He sold all his belongings and embarked on a year-long adventure, during which he discovered the challenges of locating campgrounds with ease. Being an ambitious entrepreneur, he decided to solve this problem, giving birth to Campground Views — ultimate campground and RV park directory, trusted by tens of thousands of campers as their primary source for finding their next camping spot. How did Mark achieve such a remarkable feat, and what was the process like? In this episode, Mark Koep reveals the evolution of his brand over the past decade, transforming it into a multimillion-dollar enterprise. You'll gain valuable insights and learn important lessons about the camping and RV industry, whether you're interested in starting your own venture or simply enjoy outdoor adventures. Listen now! Show highlights include:

Rome, like your favorite brands, was not built in a day — it takes years of humble beginnings. And while it is easier to dismiss these humble beginnings, they can serve as learning opportunities for many people. That’s why we invited Tayson Whittaker, founder of outdoors vitals, to this episode. From selling sleeping bags to a full range of ultralight products, raking in 6-7 figures. — Tayson has got the sauce. And in this episode, he uncovers what it takes to go from $0 to millions in your business. Plus, he reveals how to build a long-term profitable consumer-focused brand. Listen now! Show highlights include:

Trends can turn into huge opportunities when properly capitalized on. Like in 2020, during the big bike boom. Since there was a smaller supply of bikes and surging demand, the founders of Ride1Up capitalized on this to build a budding brand. How were they able to do this? In this episode, Daniel Urbino, a certified public accountant turned CEO of Ride1up, reveals how to identify an urgent market need to build a high-ticket direct-to-customer brand. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur or simply interested in the business side of biking, this episode is for you. Listen now! Show highlights include:

Do you ever wonder what motivates entrepreneurs to start their own businesses? For John Crissy, Founder of Gut Armor and a champion of gut health, his passion for creating top-notch gut health products that help people heal, and his desire to break free from the 9-5 grind, inspired him to start his own brand. But what can John's experience teach you? In this episode, he shares his insights on how you can build a successful brand from scratch to acquisition. Whether you're interested in improving your own gut health or dreaming of launching your own brand, John's expertise can help guide you on your journey. Listen now! Show highlights include:

As we evolve, so do our needs, resulting in a scarcity of products to meet them. So what can we do? Well, by innovating and creating more products based on your needs so that you can meet your needs and the needs of thousands of others in the same shoes. How? In this episode, Arjan Chima, Co-Founder and CEO of Centr, shares his inspiring journey of turning a lack of products that fit his needs into a thriving brand. You'll discover how to build a brand in a highly regulated but not widely known industry like CBD. Listen now! Show highlights include:

Businesses that aren’t considered “sexy” (like odor removal brands, for example) have an unfair competitive edge against “sexier” businesses: They’re more likely to be recession-proof! But how can you launch and scale one? In today's episode, Fresh Wave's Heidi Brown, Thought Leader, Innovator, and Catalyst, discusses how you can use her combined private and public sector experience to drive growth for similar companies. You'll discover how to innovate, develop, and launch new products that can keep your business growing (even as recessions loom). Listen now! Show highlights include:

How badly do you want to live the American dream? Waking up in your own home, being your own boss, having a sustainable family, and so on. Well, Boris Chung, founder of A Better Treat, did just that. He transitioned from being a full-time employee at a well-established company to running his own brand from scratch. What drives him? What is he doing differently that could help you in your own business? In this episode, you'll discover how Boris started his pet food company out of a love for his pet and a desire to live the American dream. And he reveals his most impactful scaling secrets, so you can scale your business too. This episode is for all aspiring founders and those interested in exploring the pet niche as a business. Listen now! Show highlights include:

Every industry has problems that must be solved, and innovation transforms these problems into new opportunities. A good example is MADE's founders, who saw a need for fitting outdoor apparel and launched what is now an award-winning brand with tens of satisfied customers. What did they do and how? In this episode, you'll discover how the founding team from MADE transformed from an idea to a well-known brand (and how you can do the same). Listen now! Show highlights include:

Skin care businesses release additional products, convincing customers that they need each one to achieve the glowing skin they dream about. But what if you could have better skin with fewer products? In this episode, you'll discover how Murphy Bishop II & his partner are using a home-made approach to create multipurpose skincare products. This episode also shows you how to create and market a "not so common" product, so your brand dominates (even in a broad industry like cosmetics). Listen now! Show highlights include:

Many times we believe chasing our passion means giving up our dreams of growing wealthy because passion isn’t monetizable. But little did we know that the more you chase your passion, the more you see problems around it you can solve and, well, profit from. That’s what Joe Maio of NOM Nutrition did after giving up his dentist career to chase his passion: outdoor sports. After identifying a problem in the outdoor sports industry, he transformed it into a money-making business. In this episode, you'll discover how Joe founded NOM nutrition - an endurance focused nutrition. And how you can mimic Joe’s success to transform your passion into a six -figure business & beyond. Listen now! Show highlights include:

What could be more lovely than embracing your community's culture? Of course nothing, which is why we invited Meli & Rensso Hinostroza from Arms of Andes to talk on how they make 100% Alpaca wool outdoor apparel from Peru to embrace their culture. In this episode, you'll learn the fundamentals of sustainable packaging as well as the differences between various types of wool. If you enjoy outdoor adventures and want to know what it's like to build something from a place of passion, this episode is for you. Listen now! Show highlights include:

Bootstrapping can be great: you get to control every part of your business and choose your lifestyle. But if you waste precious time on mundane tasks because you don’t have the funding, then bootstrapping becomes a cage. Today’s guest is Hailey Swartz, co-CEO of Actual Veggies. They started out washing and reusing their competitor’s packaging because they couldn’t afford their own. But in this episode, you’ll hear how she took on VC funding, and how you can use it to achieve greatness: like filling the shelves of grocery stores nationwide. In this wide-ranging discussion, you’ll discover how to combine bootstrap philosophy with venture capital - so you can live that free lifestyle you’ve been dreaming of. Listen now! Show highlights include:

Sure, making money is great. But what if you could use your business to change the world? I’m not talking about cheap tricks like “we donate 1% of profits to charity”. I’m talking about real changes you can see, like saving the rainforests, sheltering the homeless, and feeding the hungry… all while maintaining a healthy profit. It’s possible. And today’s guest Philip Freeman is here to show you how. He’s the founder of Murphy’s Naturals, an outdoor lifestyle brand and certified B Corp. In this episode, you’ll discover how to put more money in your pocket, while making a lasting positive impact on the world. Listen now! Show highlights include:

You’ve probably taken vitamin, protein or magnesium supplements before. Those are great for your health, but there’s an invisible aspect of our health most people ignore: Our gut biome. The trillions of bacteria in your body control more of how we feel, think and perform than most of us know. When your gut biome is unhealthy, you might gain weight, feel stressed or get sugar cravings. When you fix your gut biome, you’ll have more energy, feel healthier and watch health issues disappear. In this episode, you’ll hear from Jonathan Scheiman and Carolina Barsa, two of the founders of FitBiomics. They developed Nella, a game-changing probiotic designed to improve your gut health and help you perform your best. They’ll share why probiotics are so important—and how you can improve your gut health to unleash your full potential. Want to improve your performance every day? Listen now! Show highlights include:

Technology, while replacing hundreds of thousands of jobs, is also providing many with new career opportunities. And technology is just getting started. As it grows more powerful, making pivots will be necessary for your business’s success. A good example is Corinna Bellizzi, Head of Sales and Marketing of Orlo Nutrition. Stories like hers are what we mean when we say "opportunity meets readiness," as she was a long-time environmental advocate before joining Orlo Nutrition to produce enough omega-3s for humans using technology & world's first life, ultimately, micro-algae. But where did all of this start from, and where is it going from here? In this episode, you'll discover how Corinna and her team use technology to create products of endless abundance, such as Omega-3s, and what importance these products have in your nutrition. Listen now! Show highlights include:

Whatever you're going through today, hundreds, if not thousands, of other people are going through something similar. And if you find a solution to such a problem, thousands of others may solve theirs as well, which could lead to the start of a new profitable adventure for you, just like Cory, Founder of Booze Bandage. From searching for the best hangover cure to launching Booze bandage - "the ultimate hangover cure," he has done it all. And In this episode, you'll learn how to turn your problems into a business that'll make you profit & help thousands of people with similar problems. Listen now! Show highlights include:

From a small town in Indiana to becoming a global BBQ Seller, dreams like this often appear to be a joke until they become a reality. And when you ask what drives this kind of success, you'll realize it differs for many people. But for Jacob, the founder of Full Boar BBQ, it was all about preserving his hometown's legacy and competing to be the best. And in this episode, you'll learn what it takes to grow from nothing to something and how you can model their process for your own success. Listen now! Show highlights include:

Challenges are opportunities in disguise. When you learn how to capitalize on them, you will unlock a new level of fortune for yourself. Take Melissa and her family as an example: when the rest of Canada was complaining about the cold, they started a business in their basement. And the business became a global brand with over 20 members—just 5 years later. How were they able to do this? Today's guest, Melissa, Founder of lynn & Liana designs, reveals the backstory of their brand and how they grew so big without falling short. In this episode, you'll learn how to grow your business from challenges and keep it profitable with well-equipped team members. Listen now! Show highlights include:

Passion, they say, is hard to monetize and even if you could, it'll take you a longer time to reap profit. But that's not the same for Greg, who built a successful business off his passion for geography and his brother's passion for art. How is that possible? Simply by leveraging the right partnerships and taking the bold step to execute without clearer visions. And how can you do the same and even more? In this episode, you'll learn in-depth what passion monetizing is all about and how you can build a profitable business out of your passion by leveraging resources within your reach. Listen now! Show highlights include:

Running an omni channel brand is a lot of work. You're trying to help your customers offline, but there's a new support email asking for extra help from a new customer. Balancing delivery without bias for each client. And so on.. But if done correctly, it can give you well-deserved dominance in any industry you find yourself in. Which is what the Rack Attack story is all about. They grew their business from 12 to 40 stores in only 4 years. How did they do it? And how can you duplicate their success? In this episode, Alex Welbers, CEO of Rack Attack, joins me to reveal how to handle growth in omni channels without sacrificing the customer experience, so you're ready to scale when the time comes. Listen now! Show highlights include: