Minutes With Mike

More creators. More content. More, more, more. Brit Starr says that is not how creator marketing scales. Depth comes first, or the scale does not hold. Brit and Mike get into why brands don't own their own stories anymore, the move from campaigns to community, and the half of every creator relationship that usually gets forgotten. Connect with Brit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/britmacstarr/ Connec...

Chaz Giles says the best AI results don't start with the technology. They start with your people. So why do most companies get it backwards? Chaz and Mike dig into what it takes to make AI augment a team instead of sitting unused, and how to tell real results from hype. Connect with Chaz: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chazgiles/ Connect with Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pimsmikeryan/

Is ESG dead in beauty? Maggie Spicer says the opposite. Strip away the politics, and sustainability is just good business, and the brands that treat it that way are the ones that hold up when tariffs and regulations hit. She joins Mike for a candid conversation about greenwashing, supply chain visibility, and the one mistake that quietly drains beauty brands. Connect with Maggie: https://www.linke...

Do not rush into retail. Amy Kapolnek has said it to 112 brands across 24 countries, and she has seen what a million-dollar PO does to a brand that isn't ready. She joins Mike for a candid conversation about channel strategy, the fractional executive model, and why she thinks clinical results are about to flush the vibe brands out of beauty. Connect with Amy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amykapolne...

Social commerce only works when brands treat TikTok Shop as infrastructure, not a campaign. Pete D learned that inside TikTok, and now runs his own TikTok Shop agency. He joins Mike for a candid conversation about why discovery on the feed and the sale in the store are the same journey, how to tell if TikTok Shop is even right for your brand, and what really separates affiliate creators from influ...

After a decade as a creator. Aja Dang has thoughts on where brand-creator relationships go next: brands become the creator. She joins Mike for a candid conversation about her own pivot era, the AI brand deals she walks away from on principle, and what changes when a brand decides to build its own creator function in-house. Connect with Aja: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajadang/ Connect with Mike: h...

Maria Karr says the unboxing experience is a story, not a box. After two decades across agency, in-house, bootstrap, and incubator seats, she has built brands at every scale. She joins Mike for a candid conversation about why brand affinity comes before paid creator deals, how "cheap, fast, or quality, pick two" still drives 99% of project decisions, and what Maesa learned building AI-generated wo...

Devin Graciano took protein out of professional haircare and built Goldie Locks around what she saw from the chair. She joins Mike for a candid conversation about going back to school for chemistry as a working stylist, how her partnership with McKenzie Turley actually works, and how a bootstrapped team thinks about influencer PR boxes when the budget isn't $50 million. Connect with Devin: https:/...

The offices Jenny Wolf's commercial clients ask for don't feel like offices. They feel like home. Jenny, founder of Jenny Wolf Interiors and The Huntress, joins Mike to talk about why home is a feeling, not just a look, her "10% design, 90% problem solving" framing of the work, and a Hudson, NY, auction story that ends in 2026 with a piece she first spotted in a 2016 magazine. Connect with Jenny:...

Ian Michael Crumm built Boys in Beauty around a simple idea: beauty doesn't have to be gendered. In this candid conversation, Ian walks Mike through the line connecting his esthetician practice, his Times Square billboard for the Melanoma Research Foundation, and his collective to democratize beauty for men. Inside: why community beats audience size, what brands get wrong about the men's market, a...

Mike Rovner has spent 30 years in New York advertising and now runs a successful independent shop. Whether he's teaching his City College grad students or the junior creatives at TiNY Ad Agency, he tells them the same thing year after year: an execution is not an idea. A candid conversation on why most creative work fails the insight test, what AI gets right and wrong, and the open secret of influ...

Conor Begley and Joe Cloyes spent $25K testing the top 20 US beers. What they found led to Fathers Brewing, a clean American lager that won gold before it hit Whole Foods. A candid conversation on the clean beer playbook: why taste had to win before the clean story, how they ran a Super Bowl activation while selling in two counties, and why the real influencers in beer are bartenders, not Instagra...

Bryan Daniels turned brewery spent grain into a granola bar business. What's it like to run the whole thing solo? He tells Mike how a beer hobby became All Good Craft Granola Bars, what closing his cafe taught him, and why compostable packaging is back on the roadmap. Connect with Bryan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryan-daniels-vb/ All Good Granola: https://www.allgoodgranolabars.com/ Connect wit...

Nick Howard has a three-part framework for where AI actually works inside a company. Most businesses skip straight to the tools and miss the strategy entirely. He tells Mike why the first conversation should never be about technology, what he learned building a podcast to 1.8M downloads, and why the most exciting AI isn't the public-facing stuff. Connect with Nick: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nhow...

Shelly Socol built 1R Agency by hiring experts and letting them lead. Sixteen years later, that philosophy is why people leave, explore, and come back. She tells Mike what happened when she gave a new VP 45 days to just observe, why she laid off 16 people and found six of them jobs the same week, and the one question she asks before entering any new channel. 🔗 Learn more about Shelly Socol: https...

This special 50th episode of Minutes with Mike flips the script. For the first time, Mike Ryan, Chief Networking Officer at PIMS and the voice behind the show, steps into the guest seat, interviewed by Nick Howard. What unfolds is a candid reflection on the journey from a simple idea to a platform that captures the untold stories behind the beauty and business world. From founders sharing vulnerab...

Elana Drell Szyfer , the newly appointed president of CEW (Cosmetic Executive Women), joins Mike for a candid conversation about her unconventional path into beauty, the corporate culture lessons that shaped her leadership, and her bold vision for CEW’s future. From writing cold letters to land her first beauty role at Cosmère (L’Oréal) to navigating the vastly different cultures of Avon and Estée...

In this episode of Minutes with Mike , Nathalie Banker , Head of U.S. Communications & Advocacy at No7 Beauty Company , shares a candid look at how the communications and marketing landscape has radically evolved—and what it takes to stay relevant. With over 20 years of experience, Nathalie walks through her career journey from agency life to in-house leadership, highlighting the importance of...

In this engaging interview, Natalie Mackey, co-founder of Winky Lux, shares her entrepreneurial journey from starting her first business at 16 to building the successful beauty brand Winky Lux. She discusses product innovation, social media influence, sustainability, leadership, and the challenges of scaling a brand in a rapidly changing market. Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Natalie's Background...

Join us for an inspiring conversation with Heidi Henneman, co-founder of groaº, a creative and operational leader in the beauty industry, as she shares her journey from small-town beginnings to leading creative services for top brands. Discover her insights on brand loyalty, influencer marketing, and building community in the digital age. Chapters 00:00 Heidi's Early Influences and Career Beginnin...

In this engaging interview, best friends Kate and Kelly share their inspiring journey from high school friends to successful entrepreneurs in the fashion industry. Discover how they built their brand around unique fabrics, social selling, and overcoming manufacturing challenges, all while balancing friendship and business growth. Chapters 04:48 Creative Paths and College Experiences 07:42 Navigati...

In this engaging conversation, Ayla Anaya shares her journey from a young girl in New Mexico who aspired to be a secretary and wound up becoming the president of PIMS instead. She discusses her early career, the challenges she faced in the music industry, and her transition to PIMS, where she learned valuable lessons about leadership, operations, and the importance of communication. Ayla emphasize...

Marketing Without Borders With Lara Schmoisman In this engaging conversation, Mike and Lara Schmoisman explore Lara's multifaceted career journey from a teen radio host to a networking powerhouse and CEO of The DARL. They discuss the evolution of marketing in the digital age, the importance of adaptability in business strategies, and the nuances of networking across different regions. Lara shares...

In this engaging conversation, Mike and Margaret Josephs explore their long-standing friendship, Margaret’s creative journey, and her evolution as a successful entrepreneur and reality TV star. They discuss the challenges and triumphs of building a brand, the impact of social media on business, and the importance of authenticity in the influencer space. Margaret shares insights on her new venture,...

In this engaging conversation, Mike interviews Maryanne Grisz, President & CEO at Fashion Group International, Inc. They discuss Maryanne's journey into the fashion industry, the significance of FGI, and its initiatives, such as the Night of Stars and the Rising Star Awards. The conversation also touches on the impact of technology and AI on fashion, the importance of sustainability, and the c...