The Irresistible Factor

On this episode of The Irresistible Factor, Kristi is joined by “the Nicks,” Nick Guillen and Nick Ajluni – Co-Founders of TRUFF – the world’s first luxury hot sauce brand.“There's no limit to things we deal with in terms of like growing the business. I think it's, if anything, potentially a little harder for us because of how unique and custom everything is. So make no mistake that it&a...

“If there are small things that we can do to move in the right direction, that does matter. Then our growth could actually feel purposeful, and not just growth for the sake of making more money.” In this week’s episode of The Irresistible Factor, we find out how Stacey Marcellus’ experience living on a farm in Argentina led her to Co-Found a thriving frozen food brand – Cappello’s. Cappello’s is o...

When Marshall Rader was diagnosed with celiac disease, finding gluten-free products was no easy feat. This inspired him to develop a gluten-free bar which led him to co-found a gluten-free product company with his brother. GFB, originally “Gluten Free Bar” is now “Gluten Free Brother’s”. GFB launched their first product 11 years ago, when ‘gluten free’ was a term no one had really heard of. On tod...

You know that candy bar you’ve kept hidden from your family? – Your “little secret”? Well, joining us today on The Irresistible Factor is the CEO of the chocolate company wanting to make your little secret better-for-you – Little Secrets Chocolate. On this week’s episode of The Irresistible Factor, Kristi is joined by Jeremy Vandervoet, CEO of Little Secrets Chocolate – a better-for-you chocolate...

Jani Tuomi is the Co-Founder of the at-home testing service, Imaware. Imaware removes the barriers of access to traditional testing and provides a more affordable and easily accessible route to discovering your own biometric data, a trend that is gaining traction fast! In this episode of The Irresistible Factor, Jani and Kristi discuss how Imaware has worked closely with reputable doctors and scie...

In this episode of The Irresistible Factor, Kristi is joined by Founder and CEO of RIND, Matt Weiss. RIND was inspired by Matt’s great-grandmother who was as Matt says, “a foodie before kale was cool”. She emphasized the importance of the roots, rinds, seeds, and stems to capture the nutrients, minimize food waste, and to stretch your food budget. Her philosophy was the start of Matt’s journey of...

“I think that there is an opportunity to consolidate, for the lack of a better word, operating system within a CPG business, where all that continuity and connectivity exists. So you don’t have to patch work together, you know, a network of advisors and companies and all sorts of things. That ultimately is sort of the core vision of Rodeo at large.”Rodeo capital isn’t Zachary’s first rodeo (get it...

In this episode of The Irresistible Factor, Jim talks about how his first experience with cryotherapy inspired him to start a business around wellness that has grown to 135 locations and many services that go well beyond cryotherapy. He also talks about his plan to open 1,000 locations in the next four to five years. Jim had a plan, and he followed through. He attributes his success to his incredi...

“So, what I've discovered as an entrepreneur, starting Boba Bam, starting my other companies, is as long as you collect enough information about a particular issue, or risk or whatever, then it takes away all of that fear. Because then it turns into steps, and you know what to do at that point. So, my advice is to collect as much information to defeat your fear, and then it turns into actions...

“The consumer is rainbow of colors, and all different genders and different backgrounds. We don't have necessarily that representation in the companies that are creating products and services for them.” In this episode of Kristi Bridges’ podcast, The Irresistible Factor, Liz shares her experience of being a female investor and how she believes we are just scratching the surface in creating a...

“I really wanted to create a brand that changed the way we eat and helps us feel a little bit more connected to each other and the world that we share and I’m hoping that that is what we’re doing today at tattooed chef”. In this week's episode of Kristi Bridges’ podcast, The Irresistible Factor, Kristi talks to Sarah about how she went from film school to being the founder of Tattooed Chef -...

For food-and-beverage brands, being unafraid to ask questions is key. “Something I wish that we had done early on is leaning into the [food and beverage] community,” shares Co-Founder of Sound, Tommy Kelly. “And not feeling like every problem needed to be solved internally. And being more vulnerable and again. I think that this comes back to sort of the LinkedIn conversation a little bit — around,...

Corey Scholibo is the Co-Founder, President, and COO of Wile, a company that’s brave enough to take on a taboo subject — perimenopause and menopause. On this episode of Kristi Bridges’ podcast, The Irresistible Factor, Corey, and Kristi discuss what Wile does, and why its target audience is so important, along with the archetype Wile has created for women often overlooked in the market. Additional...

From a young age, we are conditioned to believe that weird is bad. However, Goodles Co-Founders, Deb Luster and Paul Earle, argue that “weird” is in fact the fabric of success. “Weird is where the magic lives. If you find it, hold on to it, [and] ride it to the future,” Paul shares. Goodles is the newest disruptor of the mac-and-cheese industry — tasty, nutritious and simply “gooder” than everythi...

Ruby Jewel isn’t just another ice cream sandwich. It’s super-premium, highly indulgent and has a magical combination of packaging, imagery, brand, price point and ingredient deck that makes it fly off shelves. Ruby Jewel’s mission is to bring joy. And on this episode of The Irresistible Factor, the CEO of the company, Eric Koppelman, explains how he and his team go about delivering joy every day....

In recent years, kombucha has been hailed for its health benefits — most notably, as a source of probiotics. But some kombucha brands are loaded in sugar, undermining its proposed health qualities. Better Booch is different. They use less sugar than their counterparts, and have prioritized a high standard of quality and excellent taste. The reason they’re so successful? Part of the story lies in t...

Joey Bergstein, CEO of Sabra, is on a mission statement to delight the world with positive, healthy, plant-based food. With 10 years at Seventh Generation behind him, Joey draws from his experience articulating a strong purpose for their respective businesses. If you’re a hummus lover, you might be surprised to hear that statistically speaking, consumers only purchase a tub two and a half times pe...

“Your brand is the most important thing. I mean, especially if you’re going to be selling brick and mortar,” advises Clover Vitality Co-Founder and Partner, Bert Cohen. “That’s what consumers see first, and if they glossed by it, and don’t spend any time, or don’t notice it or don’t understand what’s going on from looking at the packaging, you’ve lost. That’s definitely where you need to spend som...

Cedar Carter loves products that help improve people’s lives. That’s why she’s CEO of The Good Patch, a company that creates wellness wearables for everyday struggles, using tried-and-true ingredients. On this episode of The Irresistible Factor, Cedar shares how she’s pioneered this space. She also notes the challenges the company is facing, like teaching consumers about this new technology, and i...

“There’s just so many ways for you to sink the ship in those early stages,” said Robert Petrarca, Co-Founder and CEO of Maxine’s Heavenly, a brand that makes delicious, homemade-style cookies that are sweetened by nature. “It’s also running out of money and overspending and the retail industry with the nuances of distribution and all the challenges that go into that… I think there was a culminatio...

Today, it seems like sugar is added to almost every food product. That’s why the brand High Key’s mission is to remove 10 million pounds of sugar from the American diet, one sugar-free cookie at a time. On this episode of The Irresistible Factor, Joe Ens, CEO of HighKey, joins host Kristi Bridges to talk all things small business. He shares how he transitioned his career from the corporate world t...

What’s a critical component to consider in the early stages of venture capital investing? People. And people are particularly important when a business is new — when it feels like just a few founders with a big, bold idea. That’s why serial investor, Joe Tonnos, says that 75 percent of early-stage investment is the founders an investor is backing. The remaining 25 percent is the product, market, a...

How do you bring plant-based, nutrient-dense snacks to America, and make them irresistibly good? That’s what Scott Jensen, Co-Founder and CEO of Rhythm Superfoods, set to find out, creating the most delicious, nutrient-packed snacks. On Kristi Bridges’ podcast, The Irresistible Factor, she and Scott discuss how he built this innovative company, along with what it was like transitioning into the he...

Manny Lubin, Co-Founder of Slate Milk, strongly believes in following your gut. That’s what he did by launching a product during the pandemic, and it paid off for him. Slate Milk is a better-for-you line of lactose-free chocolate milk, packaged in 100% recyclable cans. On this episode of The Irresistible Factor, Manny shares the need he and his business partner identified for a product like this,...

You might be surprised to know how a journalism background fueled the popular gluten-free pasta brand Chickapea’s success.“My real skill was research,” Shelby Taylor, Chickapea Founder and CEO, told host Kristi Briges, “and that came from my curiosity and my journalism background. I have no fear of asking all the questions to every person that will listen, and that’s a lot of why it succeeded.”Tog...