Experiences

Episode: Jean Thompson, CEO of Maeve Chocolate What does it take to rescue a chocolate company after a literal earthquake, a departing CEO, and a distributor bankruptcy — all while raising kids and drawing no salary? Jean Thompson, founder and CEO of Maeve Chocolate (formerly Seattle Chocolate), knows firsthand. In this episode, Mark sits down with his longtime entrepreneur friend Jean for one of...

🧵 SHOW NOTES In this episode of the Experiences Podcast , Mark Sandeno welcomes longtime Experiences app user and endlessly fascinating creator, Rachel Lorenz , founder of The Creative Contessa . From her home in South Korea (by way of Paris, Heidelberg, and Albuquerque), Rachel shares how she turned decades of medieval living history, culinary arts, embroidery, and historic dance into a thriving...

Welcome to the Experiences Podcast! Mark Sandeno sits down with longtime friend and fellow adventurer Zach Smith , founder of Anywhere.com — a global travel platform that’s redefining how we explore the world. In this episode, we go deep on: 🌍 The origin story : How Zach went from body surfing and hammocks to building one of the most thoughtful travel companies in the world 🔁 From chance meeting...

The Ministry of Welcome: Creating Meaningful Experiences Through Hospitality With Nathan Woods and Mark Sandeno In this episode, Mark Sandeno sits down with Nathan Woods, a hospitality expert and founder of The Ministry of Welcome, to explore the transformative power of authentic hospitality in business and life. From driving truck parts to revolutionizing customer experiences at major brands, Nat...

Building Community Through Wine: Jennifer Halleck of Halleck Vineyard Episode Overview A conversation with Jennifer Halleck about the journey of building Halleck Vineyard, their approach to wine-making, and how they've built a thriving community around their wines. Key Moments Origin Story (1990-2000) Jennifer and Ross Halleck moved from Bay Area to Sebastopol in 1990 Purchased 5 acres, but could...

Ever wonder how a passion for yarn could transform into a thriving business and vibrant community? In this episode, we unravel the story of Heather Swan, aka "The Yarn Queen," who left her corporate career to pursue her love of fiber arts. Discover how she built Yarncom and the Midwest Fiber Festival from scratch, navigating challenges and weaving together a loyal customer base. Whether you're a c...

I had an amazing conversation with Jeff Pennypacker of Sweet and Savory Classroom, a cooking school experience based in Chatanooga, TN. He and his wife run a very successful cooking school and he shared some tasty insights for any retailer who offers (or wants to) experiences. And, if you're a cooking school, don't pass up this episode as it has some very particular advice for you. Send me your fe...

Sure, you can hope that people just show up and start to shop in your store (or chain if you're a retail magnate). But it's much more effective to bring people together through pre-booked experiences - because this is what consumers want.  Mark and Chip discuss the mindset and method behind adding pre-booked experiences to your retail offering. And if you're wondering if this applies to what you d...

Mark and Chip discuss the future of the Experiences podcast, retailers' power to curate happiness and thrive, and some other things. At the beginning of this episode, Mark mentions that the first episode is coming down, but then we looked at the stats, and you know what? People are actually downloading it. So this episode makes Mark and Chip sound like liars. This episode is sponsored by the Exper...

From Lululemon to the candle business, everything is changing because of the Internet and what consumers value. Even though traditional retail is being wiped out, something better is replacing it that will actually get you back in your car instead of waiting for UPS to show up. The Experiences podcast is sponsored by Experiences™. You can find us at experiencesapp.com Show music by Anonymous420 fr...