Founder to Mentor

In this episode, Mike is joined by Pete Malonado. Pete is the co-founder  and co-CEO of Chomps, a better-for-you meat snack brand with products made from the highest-quality, sustainably sourced proteins and no hidden, harmful ingredients.

Pete started the Chomps business from his apartment in 2012 and since then they have raised $80 million and the brand continues to be one of the fastest-growing in the country.

Throughout this episode, Pete talks about co-founding Chomps, financing the business, marketing tactics, scrappy stories from his entrepreneurship journey, wellness habits that have helped him improve as a founder, how starting a family has changed his perspective, and Chomp’s mission of inspiring a healthier way of snacking.

In this episode, Mike is joined by Matt Weiss, the founder and CEO of RIND Snacks.

RIND Snacks motto is “Keep it Real, Eat the Peel!” Their product line of craveable dried fruit blends is “powered by the peel” to maximize nutrition and minimize waste. RIND is leading two of the most powerful trends in CPG today, functional nutrition and sustainable snacking.

Prior to founding RIND, Matt spent 20 years in investment research at Baron Capital in New York. Matt also serves as the Founder and President of Friends of Chelsea Green, a grassroots non-profit dedicated to preserving open space in lower Manhattan.

Throughout this episode, Matt talks about building RIND, how the business has been financed, scrappy stories from his entrepreneurship journey, building a personal brand, their approach to marketing, the role that mentorship has played in his career, and more.

In this episode, Mike is joined by Marie Chevrier Schwartz, CEO and Founder of Sampler.

Sampler is the leading Direct-to-Consumer product sampling platform helping brands like L'Oréal and Nestlé deliver samples online and gather the insights they need to build one-to-one relationships with consumers. Sampler has worked with over 900 brands in 24 countries, and has built a reach of over 59M consumers. Some of Sampler’s most notable clients  include Unilever, Pepsi, Henkel, and L'Oreal.

Throughout this episode, Marie talks about building Sampler, the scrappy stories from building the company, her experience fundraising, the value that mentorship has brought to her entrepreneurship journey, her perspective on building a personal brand as a founder, and so much more.

In this episode, Mike is joined by Karen Danudjaja, co-founder and CEO of Blume.

During her time working in commercial realty and meeting with colleagues over coffee, Karen realized that there was nothing on the cafe menu that tasted great and actually did something good for your body. That's where her idea for Blume came from.

Blume is a simple way to enhance your daily rituals with lattes, done better. With Blume,  you can now give your coffee a tasty superfood boost or swap it entirely for your favourite latte flavour that doesn't compromise your wellness.

Throughout this episode, Karen talks about what she learned from a failed co-founder relationship, her experience raising money as a woman, her approach towards innovation, building a personal brand, going on Dragon’s Den, and so much more.

In this episode, Mike is joined by Jake Karls, Co-founder and Rainmaker of Mid-Day Squares.

Jake, his sister Lezlie, and his brother-in-law Nick are the trio behind Mid-Day Squares, the first functional Chocolate Bar. As they say, it’s “everything a chocolate bar isn't, everything a protein bar wishes it was.” Jake's ability to build hype, create a loyal fan base through social media marketing and relationship building has been a vital component to Mid-Day Square’s success.

Throughout this episode, Jake talks about discovering his strengths that he could bring to the Mid-Day Squares team, advice for young founders, the importance of relationship building, how he keeps himself healthy mentally and physically, the role mentorship has played in his life, what Mid-Day Square’s goals are, and so much more.

In this episode, Mike is joined by Claire Coder, founder and CEO of Aunt Flow.

After getting her period in public without a pad, tampon, or a coin to get one from the bathroom dispenser, Claire was inspired to create a solution to provide quality period products for free in public bathrooms. In 2016, Claire founded Aunt Flow.

Today, Aunt Flow’s freely accessible period product dispensers filled with organic cotton tampons and pads are in bathrooms at businesses and schools across North America.

Throughout this episode, Claire talks about the inspiration behind starting Aunt Flow, her passion for helping menstruators, challenges she has faced on her entrepreneurship journey, what her vision is for the future of the company, how she views personal branding as a founder, what mentorship means to her, and so much more.

In this episode, Mike is joined by Sean Riley, “Chief Executive Dude” at DUDE Wipes.

DUDE Wipes was created when Sean and his friends realized that baby wipes were a cleaner alternative to toilet paper. With $30k in cash DUDE Wipes was launched in 2012 out of an apartment in Chicago. A few years later they landed a Shark Tank deal and Mark Cuban invested in DUDE wipes.

Today, as DUDE Wipes puts it, they “wipe over 1 billion butts per year” and are sold in Walmart, Target, Kroger, and on Amazon.

Throughout this episode, Sean talks about the early days creating DUDE Wipes, what the challenges were as a team with zero entrepreneurial experience, how the business has been financed, how DUDE Wipes has scaled to the level it is at now, the role that mentorship has played in his life, the value of creating a personal brand and so much more.

In this episode, Mike is joined by Matthew von Teichman, Executive Chairman of Purplesful Snacking. Purplesful Snacking is a mission driven snacking business that puts Purpose before Profits. They donate 25% of our profits to support kids in underprivileged communities, focusing on improving nutrition, education and access for kids who need it most.

Matthew is a natural entrepreneur, he has founded 9 companies in his career. He launched and sold his first business which was a bar/restaurant when he was in University, then launched and sold a franchised window cleaning company, after that he created Canada's first online recruiting company and sold that business as well, then a series of 6 Organic food brands that he took public in 2015. Today, Matthew is pursuing startups in the e-commerce and food space, while also helping other entrepreneurs as an investor, mentor, and advocate.

Throughout this episode, Matthew talks about the different companies he has created and what he has learned from them. He talks about the inspiration to donate 25% of Purplesful Snacking profits, why mentorship is invaluable to a founder, the pressure of leading a publicly sold company, investing in other founders, and so much more.

In this episode, Mike is joined by Alex Lieberman, the Co-founder of the Morning Brew. Alex and his co-founder Austin Rief founded the Morning Brew newsletter in 2015 while they were students at the University of Michigan. Since then, the newsletter has over 4 million readers and has sold a majority stake for 8-figures in October of 2020

Morning Brew creates accessible content for anyone interested in business. They have a lifestyle and recommendations publication, Sidekick, and podcasts, Business Casual and Founders Journal. For the people who love to dive deep into an industry, they also have Emerging Tech Brew, Retail Brew, Marketing Brew, and our new vertical HR Brew.

Throughout this episode, Alex shares the story of how Morning Brew rose to success after him and Austin started it while in college. He talks about the early days creating the Morning Brew, how selling the business has changed his life personally and professionally, the challenges that come with selling a business, what he is focusing his time on now, and so much more.

In this episode, Mike is joined by Dominic Dube, the founder and CEO of Evive Nutrition. Evive was born after Dominic’s wife, Claudia, began making smoothies daily and the two of them had the idea to turn smoothie recipes into frozen cubes so they could prep their smoothies in 3 easy steps without using a blender.

Since 2016,  Evive has grown nationwide in Canada, appeared on Dragon’s Den, and has expanded into the US. Today, Evive is one of the fastest-growing frozen food companies. Evive smoothies are certified organic, GMO-free, vegan, and allow you to prepare a delicious smoothie in less than 30 seconds without a blender.

Throughout this episode, Dominic talks about his journey as a founder since launching Evive in 2016. He shares what led him and Claudia to come up with the product, the ups and downs that come with expanding into the U.S. market, how they got the opportunity to appear on Dragon’s Den, the importance of community and mentorship, and so much more.

In this episode, Mike is joined by Aaron Spivak, co-founder of Hush. Aaron is a 27-year-old Canadian serial entrepreneur, former Canadian Junior Hockey League player,  public speaker, startup advisor, and was named to Forbes 30 under 30 in 2020.

Hush is a sleep improvement company that sells the World's Most Popular  weighted blanket - designed to help those with sleep, anxiety, insomnia, ADHD, and more. Within its first 24 months, Aaron and his team grew Hush to become an 8-figure brand. The company launched a successful Kickstarter campaign that raised $1.5M+ in 30 days - making it the Top 10 most raised Canadian 30-day Campaign ever!

Hush also appeared on the Canadian Hit TV show Dragons Dens and earned "Most Epic Pitch" of the season securing a bidding war between all 6 dragons. In 2021, Hush was acquired by Sleep Country in a landmark deal for Canadian E-commerce.

Throughout this episode, Aaron talks about his entrepreneurial journey which started at just 18 years old when he co-founded Revitasize- an organic cold-pressed juice kitchen serving high-quality juices, smoothies, acai bowls, and a variety of vegan options. Within four years, Revitasize expanded to 8+ locations across Toronto. You will hear about his journey to co-founding Hush, what the inspiration was behind the product, the highs and lows of selling a business, what he’s focused on now, and more.

In this episode, Mike is joined by Margaret Coons to answer questions from other founders. Margaret is the Founder and CEO at Nuts For Cheese, which she launched in 2015 to combine the highest quality ingredients to create the world’s best-tasting, gourmet vegan cheese. Throughout this episode, Margaret answers questions from other founders about what marketing tactics have brought the most traction, her advice for building a team, what it was like doing product demos during the pandemic, how she decided on the right packaging, and more.

In this episode, Mike is joined by Margaret Coons, the Founder and CEO at Nuts For Cheese. When she launched the company in 2015, Margaret set out on a mission to use the highest quality ingredients to create the world’s best-tasting, gourmet vegan cheese. Nuts For Cheese has since become an award-winning manufacturer and distributes its products throughout Canada and the United States. Throughout this episode, Margaret talks about her journey to starting the company, when she became vegetarian, how her yoga practice influences her approach to business, the manufacturing side of the business, how the plant based consumer landscape has changed, the different forms of financing the business, what inspires her, how the business supports the LGBTQ community, where she finds female CEO support, and so much more.

In this episode, Mike is joined by Annalea Krebs. Annalea is the Founder & CEO at Social Nature, which she launched in 2015 as a product discovery and trial platform in the CPG space. Today, Soul Nature has a community with over 1 million members  and is actively changing consumer habits by providing members the opportunity to sample healthy and sustainable products on their shopping trip in exchange for an online product review.  Throughout this episode, Annalea answers questions from other founders about how to wear all hats of the business, if Soul Nature works with hemp products, and more.

In this episode, Mike is joined by Annalea Krebs, the Founder & CEO at Social Nature. In 2015, Annalea launched Social Nature as a product discovery and trial platform in the CPG space which has now grown to a community with over 1 million members. Social Nature is working towards their mission of changing consumer habits by providing community members the opportunity to sample healthy and sustainable products on their shopping trip in exchange for an online product review.  Throughout this episode, Annalea talks to Mike about the foundational mission behind Soul Nature, what motivated her to start the business, what she has learned about how to scale a business, raising capital, post COVID consumer trends she is seeing, brands she has her eyes on, and more.

In this episode, Mike is joined by Shaun Crew for a question and answer session with other founders. Shaun is the original Founder and former President and CEO of Hemp Oil Canada Inc. After founding Hemp Oil Canada in 1998, Shaun grew the company to great success, eventually becoming the first company in the hemp industry to receive Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS). Since selling the business in 2017, Shaun is now the Director at Merit Functional Foods and is passionate about helping other founders along their journey. Throughout this episode, Shaun answers questions about his thoughts on the new products in the hemp and cannabis space,  how to find a mentor, advice on how to enter the market, and more.

In this episode, Mike is joined by Shaun Crew, the original Founder and former President and CEO of Hemp Oil Canada Inc. Originally founded in 1998, Shaun grew Hemp Oil Canada to great success, eventually becoming the first company in the hemp industry to receive Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS). Since selling the business in 2017, Shaun is now the Director at Merit Functional Foods and is passionate about helping other founders along their journey. Throughout this episode, Shaun talks about his entrepreneurship journey since starting Hemp Oil Canada Inc., using trade shows to build his business, how he creatively financed the business, what he learned about organizing and building an effective team, his experiences since selling the company, and more.

In this episode, Mike is joined by Shelby Taylor, the Founder and CEO at Chickapea, which has had massive success since launching its organic pasta made from only chickpeas and lentils in 2015. As a previous health food store owner and a mom, Shelby recognized the challenge of finding a healthy meal that everyone would enjoy, so she turned the family favorite - pasta - into a superfood Throughout this episode, Shelby answers questions about her path to selling in retail stores, the most challenging part of the financial planning process, her current thoughts around broadening her product line, and more.

In this episode, Mike is joined by Shelby Taylor, the Founder and CEO at Chickapea, which has had massive success since launching its organic pasta made from only chickpeas and lentils in 2015. Throughout this episode, Shelby talks about what got her interested in health, building a business while building her family, co packing vs manufacturing, building her team and the culture of her company, the differences between the US and Canadian market, learnings from financing the business, and more.

In this episode, Mike is joined by Sean Holladay to answer questions from other founders. Sean is the Co-Founder The Spacestation which includes Spacestation Gaming, Spacestation Investments, and Spacestation Integrations . In this episode, Sean talks about  raising capital through NFTs, what  the hardest obstacle he has endured in his life has been, the importance of mentorship, and so much more.

In this episode, Mike is joined by Sean Holladay. Sean is the Co-Founder The Spacestation which includes Spacestation Gaming, Spacestation Investments, and Spacestation Integrations . In this episode, Sean talks about his journey to creating  The Spacestation,  previous companies he created and sold, investing in other companies, what the culture is at The Spacestation,  fostering creativity, brands that he is watching, social media marketing, the habits and routines that are integral to his success, and more.

In this episode, Mike is joined by Adam Brown, the Founder and President of Sircle Media. Adam has worked in and around digital marketing since 1999 and has held various positions on both the client and vendor sides. Since founding Sircle Media, a Social Media Strategy Firm based in New York City, Adam and his team work with CPG, Beverage, and Spirits brands to help them successfully implement social media strategies and execution. In this episode, Adam answers questions about how to maintain energy as a founder, marketing and working with hemp and  CBD companies, resources for social media strategy, when it would make sense to resurrect a brand, and more.

In this episode, Mike is joined by Adam Brown, the Founder and President of Sircle Media. Sircle Media is a Social Media Strategy Firm based in New York City that works with CPG, Beverage, and Spirits brands to help them successfully implement social media strategies and execution. In this episode, Adam talks about how he became passionate about sales and marketing, the culture he has created at Sircle Media, how he began working in the CPG space, the importance of engagement over followers on social media, the future for Sircle Media, and so much more.

In this episode, Mike is joined by Ari Raz, the CEO of The Coconut Cult.

The Coconut Cult is on a mission to help people restore their gut health through super probiotic coconut yogurt and gelato. Prior to joining The Coconut Cult team, Ari co-founded Once Upon a Farm and served as both CEO and President. Throughout this episode, Ari answers questions from other founders about shelf space, how everyone's strategy is different,  how transparent to be with your team, increasing product in your product line, kpi’s to look at when launching a new product, what ideas to pursue, management best practices, and more.

In this episode, Mike is joined by Ari Raz, the CEO of The Coconut Cult.

The Coconut Cult is on a mission to help people restore their gut health through super probiotic coconut yogurt and gelato. Prior to joining The Coconut Cult team, Ari co-founded Once Upon a Farm and served as both CEO and President. Throughout this episode, Ari talks about his experience as a founder, deciding to leave the business he founded, co packing vs manufacturing, innovation, geographic sales channels, marketing for a CPG brand, raising capital, and more.

In this episode, Mike is joined by Lorna Vanderhaeghe, to answer questions from other founders. Lorna was the founder, CEO, and creator of Lorna Vanderhaeghe Health Solutions, a top-selling line of women’s nutritional supplements. Since Lorna Vanderhaeghe Health Solutions was acquired by Jamieson Wellness, the largest nutritional supplement company for 8 figures, Lorna is on a mission to help and empower as many women (and men) as possible to find optimal health. Throughout this episode, Lorna answers questions about overcoming imposter syndrome, how she learned to be comfortable talking about money and asking for investment, her main strategy for acquiring shelf space in retailers, and more.

In this episode, Mike is joined by Lorna Vanderhaeghe, President at Headlines Promotions Inc. Lorna was the founder, CEO, and creator of Lorna Vanderhaeghe Health Solutions, a top-selling line of women’s nutritional supplements. From the beginning, Lorna Vanderhaeghe Health Solutions made Canada’s Fastest-Growing Companies list every year and in four short years, it was acquired by Jamieson Wellness, the largest nutritional supplement company for 8 figures. Throughout this episode, Lorna talks about her education in nutritional medicine, alternative health, how she manifested getting out of poverty, ways that she found her mentors, product innovation, and more.

In this episode, Mike is joined by Steven Singer to answer questions from other founders. Steven is the Founder of Fody Food Co, a business designed with your GI symptoms and digestive wellness in mind. He is also the Co-Founder of Glutino, which went on to become a global gluten-free leader and a 100 million dollar brand. Steven is on a mission to help millions of people around the globe improve their digestive help. Throughout this episode, Steven answers questions about finding the right retailers for your company, how to educate while also increasing sales, the one thing he wished he knew earlier in his career, and so much more.

In this episode, Mike is joined by Steven Singer. With a passion to help people with their digestive help, Steven founded Fody Food Co, a business designed with your GI symptoms and digestive wellness in mind. He is also the Co-Founder of Glutino, which went on to become a global gluten-free leader and a 100 million dollar brand. Throughout this episode, Steven talks about product research, raising money, the operations behind co packing, differences between the US market vs. Canadian market, social and environment responsibility, and more.

In this episode, Mike is joined by Patrick Higgins, to answer questions from other founders. Patrick is the President of Propel Natural Brands, a retail brokerage that specializes in complete sales management of the Canadian market for natural brands. With their focus on cultivating relationships and leveraging innovative technology, Patrick and his team provide their clients with the infrastructure necessary to compete in the Canadian market. Throughout this episode, Patrick answers questions about working with brands as a retail brokerage, his perspective on direct to consumer, and more.

In this episode, Mike is joined by Patrick Higgins, President of Propel Natural Brands. As a retail brokerage, Propel Natural Brands specializes in complete sales management of the Canadian market for natural brands. With their focus on cultivating relationships and leveraging innovative technology, Patrick and his team provide their clients with the infrastructure necessary to compete in the Canadian market. Throughout this episode, Patrick talks about his entrepreneurship journey, choosing brands to work with, leveraging data, what he looks for when investing in companies, giving back to the industry, being in the brokerage business, and more.

In this episode, Mike is joined by Erika Rankin, the founder and CEO of Bro Dough, to answer questions from other founders. Bro Dough is Canada's first better-for-you edible cookie dough - 100% vegan, contains plant-based protein, and uses natural sweeteners.Throughout this episode, Erika answers questions about leveraging TikTok for brand awareness, her thoughts around paid advertising, how to prioritize as an entrepreneur, developing flavors, and so much more.