Startup to Storefront

Today's guest is Amy Briant, co-founder of Lumion Skin . Amy's journey towards creating the Lumion brand started with a gift from her father. He had been playing around with a new formula in a lab and noticed it was having very beneficial results when it came to clearing up acne. When he first offered it to Amy, she was hesitant, but as soon as she saw the results her mind was made up. Together wi...

Today's guest is Maya French, founder of Koia. Koia is a plant-based protein drink, and Maya began the company by blending and bottling the drinks in her kitchen and then driving to local stores and offering samples of the product. As her company grew, her responsibilities shifted to more of a management role, and eventually she handed off the reins of the company to an investor who then became CE...

Today's guest is actress and activist Sophia Bush. When Sophia was growing up, she envisioned herself as a cardiovascular surgeon, and had her life mapped out accordingly. That all changed when she performed in a play to complete her arts credit in high school and was bitten hard by the acting bug. From that moment on, she threw everything she had into acting. Her hard work paid off a few years la...

Let's get FIT! We're all struggling to keep up with our fitness routines during COVID19, on today's show we bring you a fitness expert to discuss tips and tricks for us during this time. Colleen is a founding Equinox instructor, she shares how her life as a trainer has been impacted during this time and gives us her best tips, tricks, and equipment needed to stay active during shelter-in-place. Sh...

Meet Oli and Josh. They created ASYSTEM because they needed it. They were getting older, traveling too much and trying to balance family and work—with too little sleep, too much anxiety and the odd skin complaint. They wanted a simple solution. Products backed by science that were easy to use—and worked. It didn't exist. So ASYSTEM was born. Their products include men's skincare, vitamins and over...

On this episode we catch up with Quikcord. Right before the shutdown they were in the throws of raising capital and had just ordered a large quantity of product. While they are continuing to fulfill previous sales, they are also digging into marketing and placing some attention on their website. One of the Founders, Matt Adams, also serves as an EMT and was exposed to and has tested positive for C...

On the latest episode we speak to Hannah Davis who founded BANGS Shoes in an effort to satisfy her appetite for philanthropy. BANGS Shoes are modeled after simple work boots Hannah discovered when she was teaching English in China. The company makes shoes that are made from 100% vegan, ethically sourced materials inside a factory whose workers are treated with dignity and respect. The company has...

We interview Sarah Paiji-Yoo, Founder of Blueland, and hear how she launched Blueland. The company is focused on cleaning up our planet by cleaning our homes. Starting with cleaning products - items traditionally sold in disposable plastic bottles, Blueland can eliminate over 100 billion single-use plastic bottles in the US alone because their cleaners live in 100% reusable bottles. Sarah details...

Pre COVID19 we had a great chat with the Founders of Kindred Bravely. In a hopeful return to normalcy we wanted to share their amazing story. It all began when Deeanne, co-founder/CEO, was nursing her one-year-old and couldn't find a comfortable and cute pair of pajamas. She decided to design her own – a simple idea that became something extraordinary. The company has 2 goals: creating maternity a...

On today's episode we talk with Maggie of VegOut Media. Since she has both a print magazine and an online component, it's unsurprising that she's experiencing drastically different effects on either side of her business from the economic shutdown. In this episode she shares with us the high of getting her magazine into Barnes & Nobles nationwide only to see those stores close a few months later. W...

Hear from Lynnette Marrero, from the Masterclass on Mixology. Lynnette joins us from New York and shares how she and her team are dealing during this intense time. With over 15-Million restaurant workers in the United States her hope is during this time the economy begins to understand the importance of these workers and their impact on the economy and on hospitality. She's launched an auction sit...

Hear from Emerson, Founder of Farm Cup Coffee on how the new slogan is drink coffee, stay home, and do good . The Farm Cup team was just coming off a setup where, Sunny, their amazing coffee truck/vehicle needed to spend time with the mechanic. A few days after getting Sunny back in action COVID19 was forcing the team to shut down once again. Hear how they are moving efforts online and how they ar...

We check in with Margaux Moses, founder of Wave Maiden Ale works, on how she's doing during COVID19. She was inches from signing a lease on a new space in Long Beach -- listen to how she's taking this all as a positive and is thankful for the reset this time is providing her. 

What a crazy time to be in business! We (virtually) hear from Roy Dekel, Founder of SetSchedule. Roy's company is deeply rooted in real estate and he shares how he's hit the accelerator button on development of new technology. He's also convinced now more than that virtual home tours will help realtors change their approach to landing business and why if you're in the top 10% of agents, you're now...

What a crazy time to be in business! We (virtually) hear from Brooke, Founder of GoodMylk, on what her normal looks like given this outbreak. Brooke was in the middle of raising a Series A round of funding and her entire world got turned upside down. Hear from Brooke as to what this last 10 days has been like and how's she's leaning in to different strategies for her business. 

Tara Riceberg has 3 retail locations here in Los Angeles, listen to how she's dealing with COVID19 and why she wants you to help by simply leaving a review on Google or Yelp for your favorite local business during this time.   

Ever listened to a podcast and thought,  "hey, I want to do that" ? We often get emails on how we started, what equipment we use, and we wanted to answer them via this podcast.  During this episode we will cover: What topic to pick and why we choose ours.  What equipment you'll need. Pre-record with a friend to get jitters out and test your setup How to record episodes and distribute them. How we...

What you can do as a real estate developer or investor during the Corona Virus outbreak. Questions answered from/by our friends at Sheppard Mullin Law Firm.... and what to do if you're a construction company in these uncertain times. 

This a trying time for all of us. Hear some quick tips for things we can do during this time in relation to donations, VC's, new hobbies and a brief outlook on what's to come.  Includes stories and reporting from The Information, WSJ, SBA Loans, tips for working from home, and how you may be able to lower your rent payment this month. 

Diego and Nick interview Roy Dekel, Founder of SetSchedule. SetSchedule is a technology and data disruptor that leverages AI-powered predictive data, trend insights, automated marketing software tools and machine learning to deliver increased business efficiency to agents, teams,  brokers, franchises and industry verticals. SetSchedule was recently named the 5th fastest growing real estate company...

Diego and Nick interview Antony Barlett, Co-Founder of Real Plans. Real Plans is a meal planning app and website that streamlines your weekly planning, shopping, and cooking with custom meal plans based on your diet.  The company was recently recognized as one of Inc Magazine's fastest growing companies. Antony shares the full journey and how they just launched Real Plans Pro which is a tool to he...

Diego and Nick interview Ronan McGovern, Founder of Sandymount Technologies.  Sandymount is a Massachusetts-based process technology company serving the brewing industry. The company has a patented Revos hyperfiltration technology that allows them to deliver and support machines that enable up to 75% water removal from beer while protecting sensory characteristics. In plain english, they are helpi...

Diego and Nick sit down with Gaurav Tanna who co-founded Buttery, an on-demand alcohol delivery company that launched in Boston, MA. Buttery was acquired by Drizly in 2018, Drizly operates across the United States and Canada, from Austin to Boston, Calgary to Tampa, New York City to Denver (and beyond). Backed by world-class institutional investors, the company has raised $35 million to date. Gaur...

Diego and Nick sit down with our favorite dentist, Dr. Naz, to share the importance of dental health for all of us but especially for entrepreneurs who often put off all visits to the doctor or dentist. Dr. Naz opened her West Hollywood practice in 2006, realizing her vision for the perfect dental experience; a combination of state-of-the-art equipment and highly skilled staff in a space that look...