Episodes - INspired INsider - Inspirational Business Interviews with Successful Entrepreneurs and Founders with Dr. Jeremy Weisz

Why We Need Kid Friendly Sports Drinks with Velana Colon Co-Founder of Kplus Organics

Velana Colon is the co-founder of Kplus Organics and she is on a mission to change the way kids hydrate. Velana created K+ Organic Sports drinks with young athletes in mind because its made with all natural flavors and coloring; it contains only natural and organic sweeteners. Velana Colón and her founding partner, Savannah James, are mamas on a mission to give kids a better option for sports drinks. Velana was a college athlete and was always aware of the impact of nutrition. But after having three children, her interest in healthy food for busy families became a personal passion. Savannah James is a successful businesswoman and she knows hydration all too well, having front row seats with her three kids participating in athletics as well as her husband, Lebron James.

Click to Watch – Hear about developing a kids sports drink!

Inside the Mind of a Serial Entrepreneur with Josh Felber Co-Founder of Primal Life Organics

Josh Felber is a Co-Founder of Primal Life Organics and host of the hit show, Making Bank. He is a serial entrepreneur with more than 28 years of starting and growing several multi-million dollar companies (including one with $5 Billion in annual revenues). He is married with 3 kids and has twin boys.

Click to Watch – Inside the mind of a serial entrepreneur!

Discovering a New and Delicious Way to Eat Beans with Maddy Hasulak Founder of Love Grown

Maddy Hasulak is the founder of Love Grown, established in 2009. Love Grown has a mission to make cereals healthier, their tagline is, “Beans for breakfast.” Their cereals are made with a blend of navy, lentil and garbanzo beans with flavors such as Chocolate and Strawberry Power O’s. In addition to cereals for kids and adults, they also have ancient grain granola and regular granola. They can be found in thousands of stores across in the US such as Sprouts, Kroger, Whole Foods, Safeway, Natural Grocer, and many more.

Click to Watch – Learn about a new way to eat beans!

[Shark Tank Series] Bringing a Party Punch to the Marketplace with Aimy Steadman Co-Founder of Beatbox Beverages

Today we have Aimy Steadman co-founder of Beatbox Beverages who started the company with Justin Fenchel, Jason Schiek, Dan Singer, and Brad Schultz. They were drawn together by their love for music and the entrepreneurial spirit of Austin, Texas. the founders of Beatbox Beverages set out to make the world’s tastiest portable party punch, and since 2011 have grown into a million dollar company with distribution in Krogers, 7-11, Walmart, HEB, Ralphs and many more all over the country. They were even featured on the hit TV show Shark Tank!

Click to Watch – Learn about marketing party punch!

Bringing a Delicious Gluten Free Bread Alternative to the Marketplace with Sadie Scheffer Founder of Bread SRSLY

Today we have Sadie Scheffer founder of Bread SRSLY, it’s the Bay area’s first gluten-free sourdough bread company. The company began late in 2011 after a bout of gluten-free sourdough experiments in Sadie’s home kitchen. The bread is free of any gluten, eggs, dairy, soy, sugar, tree nuts, peanuts, potatoes and some other things I am missing….but I am sure it is not free of good taste! She began to send 40, 60, 100 loaves out into the world, delivered by ladies on bikes. Most weeks she biked 100 miles plus to get the bread out. They are now found in stores all over California and have expanded into Arizona and Idaho including some regional Whole Foods and Safeway’s. Production has gone from her home kitchen to their 6th commercial kitchen.

Click to Watch – Learn about gluten-free bread alternatives!

The Power of Storytelling in Marketing with Jon Olafsson Founder of Icelandic Water Holdings

Today we have Jon Olafsson, co-founder of Icelandic Water Holdings. He has spent the last 30 years building successful companies from the ground up and transforming them into industry leaders and he has done this in a variety of fields including entertainment, media, construction and many more. Jon started to build a media and broadcasting portfolio when he founded Skifan, Iceland’s largest music recording and distribution company with distributing rights for a variety of music and film companies such as Sony, Universal, Warner Music, Columbia Pictures, Miramax, 20th Century Fox and more. Jon co-founded the Icelandic Broadcasting Corporation (IBC), before moving into television in 1990, when he took over the Icelandic Television Corporation (ITC). In 1999, Jon merged all of his companies (Skifan and IBC) under one umbrella to form Northern Lights Communications, Inc. (NLC) – Olafsson served as chairman until November 2003 when he sold everything and stepped down to co-found Icelandic Water Holdings with his son in 2004. Jon oversees Icelandic Glacial water which is born and bottled in Ölfus, Iceland. It is the world’s first certified CarbonNeutral® natural spring bottled water for both product and operations. Which means it is an environmental pioneer in the industry, using 100% natural green energy in the form of geothermal and hydroelectric power to fuel production.

Click to Watch – Learn about storytelling in marketing!

The Value of Discovering Your Worth with Marketing Expert, Adrienne Richardson

Today I have a force of nature, Adrienne Richardson. First of all, you don’t mess with a hockey mom from New Jersey. I like to brag about her that she is one of the top marketing experts around. I don’t like to pigeonhole her even though it is on her site that she is a Facebook Ad expert because she is so sharp when it comes to messaging, copywriting, funnels and direct response marketing and there is so much more that goes into the campaigns that she runs for people. What I want Adrienne’s tagline to be is “Hi, I am Adrienne and I drive cold traffic (people who don’t know you) into an automated webinar and have it spit out millions of dollars on the other side.” Of course, Adrienne work with top people who have systems in place to do this and she has spent tens of millions of dollars on Facebook so she knows what works and what doesn’t. Adrienne has a laundry list of amazing clients like Russ Ruffino, University of California, and many more.

Click to Watch – Learn about discovering your worth!

Website Optimization Tips with Justin Christianson Co-Founder of Conversion Fanatics

Today we have Justin Christianson, he went from bull rider and electrician to eventually co-founding Conversion Fanatics which helps companies double customer sales and profits with A B testing…not in all cases of course..they are a full-service conversion rate optimization company and have worked with companies like Hertz, Paypal, Investors.com, BlueJeans.com and MORE!

Click to Watch – Learn website optimization tips!

Discover What it Means to be a Category King with Christopher Lochhead Host of Legends and Losers

Today we have Christopher Lochhead who started his first company at 18 and retired 30 years later. He is a three-time public company CMO, best selling author, and host of Legends and Losers Podcast. He was a co-founder of Play Bigger Advisors, served as Chief Marketing Officer of Mercury Interactive, a $1B software company that was acquired by Hewlett-Packard in 2006 for $4.5B. He is coauthor with Al Ramadan and Dave Peterson and Kevin Maney of Play Bigger: How pirates, dreamers, and innovators create and dominate markets.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

[1:25] Jeremy introduces his guest, Christopher Lochhead.
[3:00] The world doesn’t need more bullshit.
[12:30] Where is podcasting going? Is it oversaturated?
[17:00] Christopher talks about his Father-In-Law and his fruit orchard.
[22:30] What was the motivation for writing the book, “Play Bigger?”
[27:20] A healthy disregard for the status quo.
[29:00] Christopher talks about getting kicked out of school.
[32:00] The value of entrepreneurship and the evolution of Silicon Valley.
[36:00] What did Mercury Interactive do? What made it stand out?
[42:00] Why you should strive to be a “Category King.”
[45:00] Christopher talks about rolling out BTO.
[50:30] Testing products and ideas often fail to lead to a breakthrough.
[53:30] A great example of creating a new category.
[56:30] Position yourself or be positioned!
[59:30] Categories make brands not the other way around.
[1:02:30] Until someone reimagines the problem, nothing is going to change.
[1:06:30] Christopher talks about his work with One Life.
[1:10:00] How to connect with Christopher and what inspires him.
[1:12:30] Christopher describes all the items he has in his office.

In this episode…

What does it mean to become a category king? Is it wise to branch out and create a new category to become it’s de facto leader? Why is this better than challenging existing competition? You’ll hear the answer to these questions and much more from special guest, Christopher Lochhead on this episode of Inspired Insider. In his conversation with Jeremy, Christopher opens up about his time at Mercury Interactive, why the world doesn’t need more bullshit, what inspired him and his partners to write Play Bigger, and so much more! There is a ton of great insights that Christopher has to share, don’t miss a minute of it!

Be honest, aren’t you sick of all the bullshit that gets passed around as “Cutting edge” and “Innovative” these days? If that’s you, you aren’t alone! It seems that there is a growing number of people who are ready to kick curated sound bites to the curb in search of a more authentic and genuine existence. Helping to lead that charge is accomplished business leader and podcast host, Christopher Lochhead. Christopher is a no-nonsense kind of guy who loves to tell stories and ruffle a few feathers. What can you learn from Christopher’s refreshing approach?

What is in the cards for the podcasting industry? Is the market truly over-saturated as many people claim or are the party just getting started? It seems like everyone and their neighbor has a podcast these days, what role does the low overhead aspect play in the equation? Avid podcaster, Christopher Lochhead is convinced that podcasting is just at the beginning of it’s run. He sees a massive potential for podcasting to grow and evolve due to the fact that new categories and creative ways of telling stories continue to pop up left and right.

The message of defeating the competition has been drilled so hard into the minds of business people that many have failed to see the immense opportunity to be found in the alternative. The alternative approach as described by Christopher Lochhead is to completely sidestep the competition and create a brand new category. This is the approach that Google, Netflix, and Apple took and those companies have shaped our economy and our society in ways they would never have if they played it safe! What are you waiting for? Stop playing it safe! Muster up the boldness to get out there and become a Category King!

Let’s face it, you have to be a little discontent with life to be an innovator or entrepreneur. The question is, do you continue to feed off of that discontent or is it simply the spark that starts a chain reaction. Christopher Lochhead strongly believes that leaders who want to make a lasting impact need to stay discontent with the status quo. Don’t settle! Push the envelope, break barriers, and think outside of the box! Either you position yourself in the marketplace or the marketplace will position you. Learn from Christopher’s helpful insights and go even further by checking out his podcast and his book, links to both can be found in the resources section at the end of this post!

Resources Mentioned on this episode

Sponsor for this episode

At Rise25, we’re committed to helping you connect with your Dream 100 referral partners, clients, and strategic partners through our done-for-you podcast solution.

We’re a professional podcast production agency that makes creating a podcast effortless. Since 2009, our proven system has helped thousands of B2B businesses build strong relationships with referral partners, clients, and audiences without doing the hard work.

What do you need to start a podcast?

When you use our proven system, all you need is an idea and a voice. We handle the strategy, production, and distribution – you just need to show up and talk.

The Rise25 podcasting solution is designed to help you build a profitable podcast. This requires a specific strategy, and we’ve got that down pat. We focus on making sure you have a direct path to ROI, which is the most important component. Plus, our podcast production company takes any heavy lifting of production and distribution off your plate.

We make distribution easy.

We’ll distribute each episode across more than 11 unique channels, including iTunes, Spotify, and Google Podcasts. We’ll also create copy for each episode and promote your show across social media.

Cofounders Dr. Jeremy Weisz and John Corcoran credit podcasting as being the best thing they have ever done for their businesses. Podcasting connected them with the founders/CEOs of P90x, Atari, Einstein Bagels, Mattel, Rx Bars, YPO, EO, Lending Tree, Freshdesk, and many more.

The relationships you form through podcasting run deep. Jeremy and John became business partners through podcasting. They have even gone on family vacations and attended weddings of guests who have been on the podcast.

Podcast production has a lot of moving parts and is a big commitment on our end; we only want to work with people who are committed to their business and to cultivating amazing relationships.

Are you considering launching a podcast to acquire partnerships, clients, and referrals? Would you like to work with a podcast agency that wants you to win?

Rise25 Cofounders, Dr. Jeremy Weisz and John Corcoran, have been podcasting and advising about podcasting since 2008.

Insider Stories from Top Leaders & Entrepreneurs…

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Why It’s Important to Provide Value and Build a Great Team with Greg Smith Co-Founder of Thinkific

Today we have Greg Smith co-founder of Thinkific which is a platform that has everything you need to create and launch courses on your own site. Greg is a recovering lawyer and for the past 10 years he has taught thousands of students online with his own course and now with Thinkific has helped many others create their own online courses. He’s worked with companies like Intuit and Hootsuite, including service professionals like accountants, lawyers, doctors, and many more.

Click to Watch – Hear all about providing value & building a great team!

[Veteran Entrepreneur Series] From Small Startup to Thriving Ecommerce Business with Michael Eldridge Founder of Safety Glasses USA

Michael Eldridge is the founder of Safety Glasses USA. His experience as a U.S. Marine veteran, auto mechanic and assembly line technician amplified the importance of vision safety. In 2000, he turned his knowledge into one of the internet’s most popular companies for protective eyewear. They have grown to 20+ employees and have supplied protective eyewear and safety equipment to hundreds of thousands of satisfied customers around the world. In 2012, Michael started an online community forum for people interested in EDC (Everyday Carry) called EDC Planet.

Click to Watch – Learn about building a thriving ecommerce business!

The Journey from Branding Expert to Entrepreneur with Erika Szychowski Founder of Good Zebra

Today we have Erika Szychowski, founder of Good Zebra which is a protein-packed animal cracker set out to challenge the snack food industry. Good Zebra has 12 grams of protein per 2-ounce servings, NO refined sugar – it is sweetened with only organic honey and coconut sugar and has no artificial ingredients or preservatives. The 11 unique spirit animals found in Good Zebra are inspired by street and tattoo art, the flavors include vanilla, lemon, and chai with peanut butter and chocolate not far behind. Good Zebra can be found in Peet’s Coffee & Tea across the nation, select retailers, on Amazon and on the Good Zebra website.

Click to Watch – From branding expert to entrepreneur!

[Chicago Business Series] Learning and Adapting Along the Way with Sarah Chalos Co-Founder of I Heart Keenwah

Today we have Sarah Chalos co-founder of I Heart Keenwah with Ravi Jolly. I Heart Keenwah makes “superfoods” accessible to consumers with a range of tasty food products, including quinoa based snacks such as Himalayan pink salt chocolate quinoa puffs, peanut butter chocolate quinoa puffs and many more. They can be found in thousands of stores across the U.S. and globally in places like Whole Foods, CVS, 7-11 and of course on Amazon and their website. Before I Heart Keenwah, Sarah studied engineering at MIT, worked in R&D, manufacturing at Abbott Laboratories, earned her MBA at Chicago Booth and consulted for big corporate clients at Bain & Company. The most impressive part is that Sarah does all this while raising 2 kids.

Click to Watch – Learn about adapting and evolving in business!

Serving Ecommerce Sellers and Creating Innovative Solutions with Franz Jordan Co-Founder of Sellics

Franz Jordan is the Co-Founder of Sellics which is a powerful all-in-one tool that combines everything sellers need to be successful on Amazon. Sellics evolved from Franz’s first company Marketplace Analytics, a German data analytics company that was the first of its kind to focus on Amazon SEO back in 2014. You can manage and optimize your Sponsored Product campaigns entirely in the Sellics PPC Manager. Other features include a profit dashboard, keyword ranking optimizer, competitor monitoring, and much more. Companies such as Bosch appliances, Lego, and Brita are some of the businesses that use Sellics.

Click to Watch – Learn about innovative solutions!

Delivering Excellent Customer Service with Nathan Hirsch Co-Founder of FreeeUp

Today we have Nathan Hirsch Co-Founder of FreeeUp which is a marketplace connecting business owners with the top 1% of freelancers in ecommerce, digital marketing, web development, and much more. They have helped companies like Payability, Sharkk and many ecommerce companies with staffing needs. Over the past 15 years, Nathan has built several successful multi-million dollar businesses. In 2006, he founded his first online venture out of a college dorm room, selling and buying student textbooks and he was able to scale his ecommerce business, bootstrapping from a $20 investment to over $30 million of sales on Amazon across a 6 year period while serving over 10,000 customers.
Click to Watch – Learn about delivering excellent customer service!

Creating and Marketing a Healthy Drink Alternative with Albert Swantner Founder of Sway Water & Bohemian Innovation

Albert Swantner is an award-winning maker. With a master’s degree in mechanical engineering and a software background, he is able to create products bridging these disciplines. Albert has led projects with companies like Adidas, FOX, Charity Miles, Moxxly, Socrative, and his own angel-funded startup Sway Water, among others. His work has earned companies like Charity Miles a Webby and an SXSW Interactive award, and his work has been covered by Wired UK, The Today Show, Forbes and Fast Company.
Click to Watch – Learn about marketing a new healthy drink!

[IRCE Series] Helping Ecommerce Businesses Become Globally Competitive with Tommaso Tamburnotti Co-Founder of Easyship

Today we have the co-founder of Easyship, Tommaso Tamburnotti. He started the company with Augustin Ceyrac and Paul Lugagne Delpon. Easyship is a Hong Kong-based ecommerce platform that aims to simplify logistics for small to medium-sized ecommerce sellers to help them become globally competitive. Easyship works with more than 100 couriers and provides visibility on international shipping regulations, taxes and duties from one account. They have a team of 38 people in four offices around the world and are used by over 15,000 businesses.

Click to Watch – Learn about taking ecommerce brands global!

[IRCE Series] Developing a Holistic Ecommerce Marketing Strategy with Mike Belasco Founder of InFlow

Today we have CEO and founder of Inflow, Mike Belasco. Inflow is a national provider of cutting-edge ecommerce inbound marketing and search engine optimization services including conversion optimization and paid search marketing. Inflow works hard to provide clients with unique and valuable positioning strategies that drive bottom-line results.

Click to Watch – Learn about ecommerce marketing!

[IRCE Series] Acquiring and Distributing Wholesale Merchandise with Eddie Levine Co-Founder of Wholesale Breakthrough

Today we have Eddie Levine co-founder of a wholesale ecommerce and brand management company which he started in 2012 with his business partner Greg Gilpin. They have created a multi-million-dollar ecommerce operation in a short period of time and specialize in purchasing products directly from manufacturers, distributors and brand owners and warehouse them all under their own roof and sell on various channels. If he were not busy enough he has an information and consulting arm of his ecommerce business found at WholesaleBreakthrough.com where he teaches others how to tap into the business opportunity. In his limited free time, he also is Director of Operations for the non-profit Laughs for the Troops which helps raise funds to help increase awareness of traumatic brain injuries and PTSD.

Click to Watch – Learn about wholesale merchandise!

[IRCE Series] Staying Hungry and Pursuing Ecommerce Business Growth with Dylan Whitman Co-Founder of BVAccel

Today we have Dylan Whitman co-founder of BV Accel – full name Brand Value Accelerator (BVAccel). They are one of the fastest growing Shopify focused agencies in the world. Acquisition + Conversion + Retention which are the three pillars of their ecommerce philosophy and when you go to their site BVAccel.com that is front and center. They provide disruptive ecommerce strategy and implementation and have served high-growth brands including MVMT Watches, Red Bull, Mizzen and Main, Bark Thins, and many more. BVAccel is headquartered in San Diego, California with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Columbus and Mexico and Melbourne.

Click to Watch – Learn about staying hungry!