The Turning Pro Podcast

Michael True, co-founder and CEO of Prescient AI, is leading a transformative startup that is redefining data science and marketing analytics. His journey from a corporate tech role at IBM to heading a rapidly expanding company is both compelling and insightful, showcasing his relentless drive for innovation and success. In this episode, we look into the captivating story behind Prescient AI's inc...

Eli Taylor-Lemire is the co-founder and CPO of POSH, a software product for live experiences that has raised $31 million in funding to date. Eli's journey from college dropout to leading a successful company is both inspiring and insightful, showcasing his ventures in video production and coding, as well as his ability to navigate the challenges of scaling a startup during a pandemic. In this epis...

Emmett Shine is an innovative entrepreneur and designer known for his unique approach to brand building and creative direction. As the co-founder of Gin Lane, Pattern Brands, and Little Plains, he has transformed the landscape of digital and physical products through his exceptional vision and dedication. In this episode of Turning Pro, we explore Emmett's fascinating journey from the early days o...

Michael Brandt is the co-founder and CEO of Ketone-IQ, an innovative startup that transitioned from a niche biohacker concept to a renowned brand in the health and wellness sector after signing a $6 million contract with the US Department of Defense. In this episode, we delve into Michael's remarkable journey from creating the world’s first ketone shot to partnering with the Tour de France-winning...

Ryan Chen and Kent Yoshimura are the Co-Founders of NeuroGum, an LA-based wellness brand that sells clinically studied nootropics to help people feel more energized, focused, and calm. In this episode, the NeuroGum team unpacks their own Turning Pro moments while scaling the health brand, how they’ve managed to overcome major obstacles and hurdles, and why more founders should remember to celebrat...

Jacklyn Dallas is the Founder & CEO of NothingButTech, one of the fastest growing media companies in the world that focuses on consumer tech trends. As the platform’s audience has grown, Jacklyn has hosted 1-on-1 interviews with tech giants like Google CEO Sundar Pichai. In this episode, we get an inside look at Jacklyn’s content workflow, how creators and founders can find their unique voices...

Peter Kang is the Co-Founder & CEO at Barrel, a creative and digital marketing agency in New York City that specializes in designing digital experiences for consumer brands. Before launching Barrel, Peter worked on Wall Street as an investment banker at Lehman Brothers. In this episode, we discuss the highs and lows of agency life, the importance of team support when things aren’t going right,...

John Coyle is the Head of Professional Services at Triple Whale, a rapidly growing e-comm infra startup building the operating system for Shopify brands. Before joining Triple Whale, John was the CMO for Team Strategery and Ander, and the founder of Explosive Growth Marketing. In this episode, we get an inside look at John’s relentless growth mindset, making the jump from a founder to an employee,...

Noah Tucker is the Founder & CEO at Social Snowball, an affiliate & referral marketing platform driving millions in revenue for over 2,000 brands like Solawave, Obvi, and Javy Coffee. In this episode, we cover Noah’s journey scaling his company as a non-technical founder, challenges faced when starting a business solo, and the highs and lows of rapid growth.

Drew Marconi is the Co-Founder & CEO at Intelligems, a profit optimization platform built for ecommerce brands like OpenStore, Branch, Obvi, and many more. Before launching Intelligems, Drew served the VP of Marketplace Ops at Via where he built out their data analytics function. In this episode, we dive deep into the value of coaching in personal and professional growth, transitioning from re...

David J. Sitt is the Founder & CEO of Ship Essential, one of the fastest growing e-commerce fulfillment partners in the country. Based in New York City, Ship Essential partners with major consumer brands like Madhappy, Atoms, Cadence, Lechery, Brunch, and many more. In this episode, we unpack David’s lessons on balancing work and family life, building a business model focused on fast delivery...

In our third Q&A episode, we dive into tactical lessons on team delegation (who, not how), mistakes we’ve made in the sales and closing process, running effective offsites with our extended remote teams, and why leads ghost during negotiation stages.

Cael Schwartz runs growth and brand at Mugsy, a fast-growing Shopify brand that is redefining men's clothes for the modern guy. Before joining Mugsy, Cael was the Head of Consumer Brand Strategy at Barstool Sports and the Head of Product & Growth at Birddogs. In this episode, we unpack how Cael prioritizes authenticity in content creation, building in public within the e-commerce community on...

Zach Hamed is the Founder & Co-CEO at Clay, a venture-backed startup that enables folks to manage all of their personal and professional relationships – all from a single dashboard. Since launching officially in 2021, the team has raised over $8M from leading investors to fuel growth. In this episode, we cover how Zach approaches his personal relationship-building in both business and life, th...

In our second Q&A episode, we dive deep on how first-time founders can tactically improve their delegation skills (and the biggest mistakes we’ve made), Ben’s time management best practices to boost productivity, and why founders need to spend 80% of their time on their core strengths.

Matt Smolin is the Founder & CEO at Hang, a radically new type of loyalty experience for ecommerce brands around the world. Since launching, Matt has raised more than $10M in funding to fuel loyalty for brands like Bleacher Report, Asics, Qalo, Madhappy, and many more. In this episode, we cover Matt’s tactical advice for finding investors and raising capital, his own ups and downs while hackin...

In our first Q&A episode, we dive deep on our biggest learnings (and mistakes) from Season 1 of the podcast, the inside growth stories at Verbatim and Platter, and how we’ve been able to balance high-volume content creation while building our own companies in tandem.

Jack Raines is one of the fastest-growing content creators on LinkedIn and X, with a combined audience of over 100,000 across channels. Based in New York City, Jack recently finished his MBA at Columbia Business School and is a full-time editor and creator at Sherwood Media. In this episode, we dive deep on Jack’s tactical lessons in audience growth, the outsized ROI on consistency and authenticit...

Zach Pogrob is an athlete, entrepreneur, and creator focused on a single word: obsession. He is one of the fastest-growing creators in the world, with over 2 million followers across platforms. In this episode, we unpack why Zach is doubling down on the obsession brand, why fitness and health are fundamental parts of his journey, tactical recommendations to growing an audience and creative platfor...

Seth Goldstein is Co-Founder of Ancient Crunch, a family of brands focused on building new-age health foods for the modern consumer. After launching in 2023, Masa Chips - the company’s flagship product - exploded onto the wellness scene and has already sold over 250,000 bags. In this episode, we cover Seth’s personal wellness journey, why more consumers are ditching seed oils, raising capital from...

Ronak Trivedi is the Co-Founder and CEO of Pietra, one of the fastest-growing companies in the commerce infrastructure space. The platform helps creators and brands connect with suppliers, design products, and set up their e-commerce storefronts. Ronak recently closed a $15M Series A from Founders Fund and Andreessen Horowitz among others to double down on its growth. In this episode, we cover how...

Natassia Miller is the Founder and CEO of Wonderlust, a sexual wellness company for couples based in New York City. Natassia previously co-founded Evolna, a health and wellness company scaling a new movement modality focused on mental health and body neutrality. In this episode, we cover how partners should communicate, the intersection of ecommerce and sexual wellness, and content creation within...

Zack Holland is the Founder and CEO of SelectFew, a platform that brings transparency, accountability, and performance to marketing by leveraging AI and data. To date, SelectFew has helped over 200+ customers, ranging from venture-backed startups to large enterprises. In this episode, we cover Zack’s serial entrepreneurship journey, launching and scaling multiple million-dollar businesses, and how...

Tommy Clark is the Founder & CEO of Compound, a social media agency focused on B2B executives and founders. Previously, Tommy served as Head of Social at Tripe Whale – one of the fastest growing ecommerce infrastructure companies in the broader Shopify ecosystem. In this episode, we cover his rapid social growth over the past 2 years, tactical playbooks for building a B2B social function, and...

Ron Shah is the Co-Founder and CEO of Obvi, a health and wellness brand dedicated to making the most transparent products on the market - without sacrificing taste. He’s also the Co-Host of Chew On This, a fast growing media company focused on CPG and ecommerce growth, and an active advisor to tech companies like Parker and Finaloop, among others in the ecomm space. In this episode, we cover how t...