Crunching Your Growth - Growth Class

In this episode of The Growth Class , host Phil Massiello interviews Ricky Tiscareno , co-founder of Poured Candle Bar and co-founder of Poured New York . Ricky shares how he and his husband, Dennis Green, transformed a retirement dream into a thriving experiential retail business and nationally distributed luxury fragrance brand.  The conversation explores how Poured Candle Bar carved out a uniqu...

In this episode of The Growth Class , host Phil Masiello interviews Hannah Redmond , Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Happy Box .  Hannah shares the remarkable journey of turning a thoughtful care package for her sister into one of America’s fastest-growing custom gifting companies. The conversation explores how Happy Box evolved from an Etsy side hustle into a thriving consumer and corpor...

In this episode of The Growth Machine , host Phil Masiello interviews Dewar Gaines , Founder and CEO of Gaines Family Farmstead . Dewar shares the inspiring story behind building one of the fastest-growing premium pet treat brands, from hand-slicing sweet potatoes in a 700-square-foot garage to scaling into a nationally recognized omnichannel business.  The conversation explores how a relentless f...

In this episode of Crunch Your Growth , host Phil Masiello interviews Tomo Delaney , founder and CEO of Noshi For Kids . Tomo shares the remarkable journey of transforming an innovative idea born from his own parenting challenges into a category-defining children’s food brand.  After years of developing edible “Food Paint” made from organic fruit purée, a Shark Tank deal with Mark Cuban inspired a...

In this episode of Crunching Your Growth , host Phil Masiello interviews Rob te Braake , Founder and Fractional CFO of Insight Matters .  Rob breaks down how founders of online and e-commerce businesses can move beyond surface-level reporting and start using financial data as a real operational decision-making tool. He explains why most business owners underutilize their numbers, how breaking down...

In this episode of The Growth Class , host Phil Masiello interviews Chimere Faulk , Founder and CEO of Dr Locs .  Chimere shares the entrepreneurial journey behind building a premium hair care brand dedicated to the loc community, explaining how years of hands-on experience as a loctician inspired her to create vegan, buildup-free products that solve real customer problems.  The conversation explo...

In this episode of The Growth Class , host Phil Masiello interviews Liza Roeser , Founder and CEO of FiftyFlowers. Liza shares how a Peace Corps assignment in Ecuador led her to discover the global flower export industry and eventually build one of the first direct-to-consumer online flower companies.  Starting with just $2,400 in savings, she transformed FiftyFlowers into a leading farm-direct ec...

In this episode of The Growth Class , host Phil Masiello interviews Stephen Calsbeek , co-owner of Farm Hounds. They discuss how Farm Hounds grew from a small pet retail concept into an Inc. 5000 direct-to-consumer brand built around regenerative agriculture, transparent sourcing, and single-ingredient dog treats.  Stephen shares how a conversation with White Oak Pastures sparked the idea for tran...

In this episode of The Growth Class , host Phil Masiello interviews Tina Burgos , founder of Covet + Lou, a curated online boutique and retail store that champions independent, sustainable, and women-owned designers.  They explore what it really takes to build a scalable retail brand in a world obsessed with volume, trends, and aggressive discounting, and how disciplined curation and customer unde...

In this episode of Growth Class , host Phil Masiello interviews Carlos Carvalho , co-founder of One Movement Threads. Carlos shares his journey from working as a city laborer and union advocate to building a purpose-driven company that helps unions, nonprofits, and community organizations strengthen engagement through custom apparel, branding, websites, podcasting, and marketing services.  The con...

In this episode of The Growth Class , host Phil Masiello interviews Claudia Chase, founder and president and Elena Kawachi , Co-owner and head of marketing at Mirrix Looms.  Claudia shares the remarkable story of how a personal need for a portable, professional-quality tapestry loom evolved into a globally recognized weaving brand that has served artists and makers for nearly three decades.  The c...

In this episode of Crunching Your Growth, host Phil Masiello interviews John Hughes, master golf instructor and founder of John Hughes Golf. They explore John’s unconventional journey from collegiate and professional soccer player to becoming a respected figure in golf coaching, and how that transition shaped his philosophy on performance, discipline, and mindset.  John breaks down how elite perfo...

In this episode of Crunch Your Growth , host Phil Masiello interviews Michael Londo, founder of Body Balance System, a US-based manufacturer of FDA-registered red light therapy beds designed for med spas, wellness centers, and longevity clinics.  They explore the growing gap between marketing claims and real product performance in the red light therapy industry, where terms like “FDA cleared” are...

In this episode of The Growth Machine , host Phil interviews Meesha Farzaneh, founder of Meesha Farzaneh Jewelry. They explore how a season of physical recovery and personal adversity became the foundation for a globally recognized creative brand built on resilience, experimentation, and intentional design.  Meesha shares how multiple invasive surgeries and limited mobility led her to discover tex...

In this episode of Crunch Your Growth, host Phil Masiello interviews Kylen Ribeiro, CEO of DefenderShield, a health-tech and digital wellness company focused on EMF awareness and protective consumer products. The conversation explores how Ribeiro helped scale DefenderShield from early-stage innovation into a category-defining brand in the digital wellness space, while working alongside leading res...

In this episode of The Growth Class, host Phil Masiello interviews Paul Wolchuk, founder of iiCiNG, a Canadian beverage flavor enhancement company. They explore how Icing evolved from an initial focus on beer flavoring into a versatile product used across vodka sodas, tequila, wine, cocktails, sparkling water, juices, and even non-traditional applications, highlighting the challenges and opportuni...

In this episode of The Growth Class, host Phil Masiello interviews J.J. Jaxon, co-founder and co-CEO of Mission MightyMe .  The conversation explores how a deeply personal parenting challenge evolved into a fast-growing consumer brand on a mission to help end the food allergy epidemic. J.J. shares the origin story behind Mission MightyMe after his daughter developed severe food allergies and how g...

In this episode of The Growth Class, host Phil Masiolo interviews Tierra Forte, co-founder and CEO of Mightly. They explore how a values-driven approach to fashion can reshape an entire business model, from prioritizing organic cotton and supply chain traceability to building a brand rooted in ethical production and long-term sustainability.  Tierra shares how her early experience as a mother infl...

In this episode of The Growth Class , host Phil Masiello interviews Marissa Gurdian, founder of Sweet Paws. They explore how identifying everyday friction points in pet ownership can lead to scalable product innovation, and how Marissa built Sweet Paws by focusing on both functional and emotional needs of pet parents.  The conversation highlights how solving small, overlooked problems—like puppy t...

In this episode of The Growth Class , host Phil Masiello interviews Gregory Hegger, co-founder of Fox Fold. They explore how a simple observation inside hotel rooms—partially used toilet paper and tissue products being discarded—turned into a scalable B2B opportunity within a traditionally overlooked industry.  Gregory shares how identifying inefficiencies at scale can unlock meaningful cost savin...

In this episode of The Growth Class, host Phil Masiello interviews Joshua Rystedt, Managing Owner of R Creative, a digital marketing agency specializing in high-stakes industries such as finance, healthcare, and architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC).  They explore why most B2B companies struggle with lead generation due to overly broad positioning and how narrowing focus can dramatical...

In this episode of Crunching Your Growth , host Phil Masiello interviews Dr. Babak Baravarian, founder of Arch Tek Socks. They explore the realities of building a product in an “unsexy” category and why even the most innovative products struggle without the right go-to-market strategy.  Dr. Baravarian shares how his background as a foot and ankle surgeon led him to rethink product design from a fu...

In this episode of Growth Class , host Phil Masiello interviews Jesse Kozlov, Co-Founder and CEO of The Dog Stop. They explore the realities behind entrepreneurship and franchising, breaking down why not everyone is suited to business ownership and what it truly takes to sustain and scale a company.  Jesse shares candid insights on the pressures of running a business, from the shift to 24/7 respon...

In this episode of The Growth Machine, host Phil Masiello interviews Amy McCord, founder and CEO of Flower Moxie. They explore the realities of entrepreneurship, including why there is no perfect formula for success and how strong leaders develop the resilience to pivot quickly when plans fail.  Amy shares her perspective on business decision-making, explaining how entrepreneurs must accept trade-...

In this episode of The Growth Class, host Phil Masiello interviews Larry Reines, CEO and President of Floafers. They explore how decades of experience across the footwear industry—from warehouse operations to executive leadership—shaped a 360-degree understanding of building and scaling a brand.  Larry breaks down how deep operational exposure creates stronger leadership decisions, especially when...