TrepTalks with Sushant

Young and Josh Kim of Ellison + Young share the story of successfully transitioning from running a 10 store retail fashion and jewellery chain to an online wholesale Fashion and Lifestyle brand after COVID pandemic closures. They share how they have applied the lessons from their retail experience to create a strong supply chain, utilize multiple sales channels, as well as provide strong customer support to wholesale customers as a way to differentiate and grow.

Alex Witherow of Car Rental University shares his years of experience with Car Sharing business - tips on starting and growing a profitable car-sharing side-hustle, scaling the business, and valuable insights on avoiding common pitfalls.

Mel young, founder of Flowerdale valley shares how her desire to be her own boss and spend more time with her kids propelled her to start a natural skincare brand. Mel also shares how she has grown her business organically over time and grown as an entrepreneur by challenging herself every step of the way.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Jared Madsen, founder of Madsen Cycles, shares the story of getting inspired by the Danish culture of using cargo bikes as a family transportation vehicle and deciding to bring the idea to the US. Jared shares the initial skepticism he faced from the cycling industry but forged forward anyways to build his business. Jared shares lessons learned in business, building a community, and challenges with marketing a new concept as well as shipping a large object.

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.

Jessica Stellwagen of Bodify, a Med-Spa specializing in CoolSculpting shares how she partnered with her sister, fundraised half-a million dollars, and utilized her business acumen to quickly become one of the top CoolScultping clinics in the United States. Jessica shares her lessons in business building, building a high-performing team culture, and marketing strategies that helped her to grow quickly.

Steven Sashen, founder of Xero Shoes shares the story of building an innovative footwear company where the products (shoes) allow natural barefoot fit and comfort and let feet do what is natural - bending, flexing, moving, and feeling. Steven talks about building the company initially through organic growth, shark-tank experience, and being profitable from the start.

Dylan Lam of Omirank shares his journey of becoming an Amazon entrepreneur and launching multiple successful products and brands on Amazon. Dylan has now launched an Agency that is helping aspiring Amazon entrepreneurs succeed through Product Validation, PPC advertising, and helping to set up successful Product Launches.

Olivier Momma, Founder of Ekster, shares how he came to the US as a Fulbright scholar and decided to create a trackable wallet brand after meeting his co-founder in business school. Olivier shares his experiences launching a successful Kickstarter campaign, challenges with marketing and customer acquisition, and goal of building a global smart travel gear brand.

Bill Spohn, Co-Owner of TruTechTools shares the story of building the largest niche tools business for HVAC technicians by focusing on providing a great customer service experience and educational resources for the customers.

David Dennis of Ventana Surfboards and Supplies shares the story of creating a high-end, beautifully designed, and eco-friendly wooden surfboards that sell for thousands of dollars and can be used as art-pieces.