In this episode of Eating Glass, we dive into the rollercoaster journey of Chris Savage, co-founder and CEO of Wistia, as he takes us behind the scenes of building a successful video marketing platform from scratch. From failed viral ideas, living on a shoestring budget to discovering product-market fit and growing a loyal customer base, Chris shares the ups and downs of bootstrapping a tech company in the early days of online video. Tune in for valuable insights on pivoting, marketing strategies, and the power of perseverance in the face of entrepreneurial challenges. Don't miss this inspiring story of turning a passion for video into a thriving business.

Chapters:

00:00:00 - Intro
00:02:56 - Motivations for starting a company
00:05:18 - Early failed ideas and pivots
00:11:04 - Surviving on a shoestring budget
00:16:50 - Building a simple solution for customers
00:20:35 - Raising angel money
00:22:29 - Navigating 2008
00:24:02 - Marketing strategies and content creation
00:26:40 - Growing the team and revenue
00:33:48 - Personal content creation
00:37:12 - Keeping creativity alive
00:41:40 - Balancing family and work
00:43:00 - Dealing with burnout and stress
00:49:43 - Trial and error as the best strategy
00:52:07 - Avoiding boredom
00:57:27 - The Next Decade
01:02:56 - Rapid-fire questions
01:13:13 - Wrap-up

ABOUT THE HOSTS:

Will Nitze is the Founder & CEO at IQBAR - America's leading "brain + body" nutrition startup. With minimal funding, Will has taken IQBAR from zero locations and zero in revenue in 2018 to 10,000+ doors and a projected $50 million in sales in 2024.

Joe Lemay founded Rocketbook with business partner Jake Epstein. After being featured on “Shark Tank”, where the sharks passed on a chance to invest – Joe would go on to grow Rocketbook and sell it to BIC for 40 million dollars just three years later.

Connect with Chris Savage:

Chris' Podcast: https://wistia.com/series/talking-too-loud
Wistia Website: https://wistia.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cjsavage
X: https://twitter.com/csavage
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/csavage

In this episode of Eating Glass, Pete Maldonado, co-founder and co-CEO of CHOMPS, shares his entrepreneurial journey from hitting rock bottom to building a successful meat snack brand. From bootstrapping with just $6,500 to navigating existential crises during COVID-19, Pete offers candid insights on focus, innovation, and the importance of people in scaling a startup. Join hosts Will Nitze and Joe LeMay as they dive deep into Pete's experiences, uncovering valuable lessons on resilience, leadership, and redefining success in the face of adversity.

00:00:00 - Intro
00:04:05 - CHOMPS: Better-For-You Meat Snacks
00:06:00 - Broke to Rich: Pete's Evolution
00:09:15 - Bootstrapping vs. Raising Capital
00:12:30 - Hand-to-Mouth: Financing Early CHOMPS
00:16:46 - Urgency and the Brand Enemy
00:18:39 - Throwing Out the Playbook
00:22:36 - Product Innovation Through Simplification
00:25:02 - Surviving Two Existential Crises
00:34:41 - Filtering Advice and Trusting Instincts
00:38:30 - Transitioning from Startup to Corporate
00:43:08 - Rapid Fire: Hiring and Platitudes
00:47:29 - Rapid Fire: Mistakes and Success

ABOUT THE HOSTS:

Will Nitze is the Founder & CEO at IQBAR - America's leading "brain + body" nutrition startup. With minimal funding, Will has taken IQBAR from zero locations and zero in revenue in 2018 to 10,000+ doors and a projected $50 million in sales in 2024.

Joe Lemay founded Rocketbook with business partner Jake Epstein. After being featured on “Shark Tank”, where the sharks passed on a chance to invest – Joe would go on to grow Rocketbook and sell it to BIC for 40 million dollars just three years later.

Connect with Pete Maldonado:

Chomps Website: https://chomps.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petermaldonado/
X: https://x.com/petemaldonado
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/petemaldonado/

Ever dream of taking a wild product idea and turning it into a $50 million exit? Your co-host (and today's guest) Joe Lemay did just that with Rocketbook.

His initial idea was an app to digitize whiteboards in real-time. When that didn't pan out, Joe pivoted hard - creating the Rocketbook, a reusable notebook you could literally microwave to erase and reuse. This wacky "microwave to erase" gimmick went viral on Kickstarter, raising over $1 million. But actually manufacturing the microwavable notebooks was a nightmare...

Hear the full story of constant pivots, huge challenges, and 24/7 hustle behind this wild entrepreneurial journey.

00:00:00 - From Engineer to Entrepreneur
00:03:50 - The Whiteboard App
00:09:15 - Pivoting to Notebooks
00:13:25 - Going Viral: Microwave to Erase
00:19:20 - $1 Million in Pre-Sales
00:22:20 - Manufacturing Nightmares
00:26:45 - Surviving by a Thread
00:30:10 - Shark Tank Roast
00:31:25 - A Wipeable Wonder
00:33:20 - Crowdfunding Kings
00:38:15 - Word-of-Mouth Magic
00:41:30 - Brick & Mortar Struggles
00:44:50 - Exploring Exit Options
00:53:50 - Selling to Bic: The $50 Million Deal
00:56:40 - Post-Exit Life
01:00:05 - Rapid Fire
01:04:50 - Wrapping Up

ABOUT THE HOSTS:

Will Nitze is the Founder & CEO at IQBAR - America's leading "brain + body" nutrition startup. With minimal funding, Will has taken IQBAR from zero locations and zero in revenue in 2018 to 10,000+ doors and a projected $50 million in sales in 2024.

Joe Lemay founded Rocketbook with business partner Jake Epstein. After being featured on “Shark Tank”, where the sharks passed on a chance to invest – Joe would go on to grow Rocketbook and sell it to BIC for 40 million dollars just three years later.

Connect with Joe Lemay:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lemayjoe/
X: https://twitter.com/lemayjoe
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lemayjoe/?hl=en

Mike Fata, founder of Manitoba Harvest, shares his incredible journey from high school dropout to building a $419 million hemp empire. Discover the lessons he learned while navigating the challenges of entrepreneurship, from humble beginnings to scaling a business, managing successful exits, and embracing servant leadership. Mike's insights on passion, persistence, and personal growth will inspire and motivate you on your own entrepreneurial path.

Chapter Titles:
00:00:00 - Intro
00:05:16 - Starting Manitoba Harvest
00:07:34 - Early Guerrilla Marketing
00:11:56 - Scaling to $1 Million
00:15:10 - The Path to $10 Million
00:19:05 - Trademark Battles
00:21:25 - Challenges of 24/7 Manufacturing
00:22:18 - Navigating the First Exit
00:27:44 - Life After Partial Exit
00:29:54 - The $419 Million Exit
00:32:14 - Investing Philosophy
00:34:20 - Finding Deals
00:36:10 - The Evolution of CPG
00:40:00 - Mike's Portfolio Insights
00:41:29 - A Tough Lesson Learned
00:44:55 - Rapid Fire Questions
00:49:14 - Balancing Entrepreneurship and Single Fatherhood
00:52:05 - Servant Leadership
00:53:06 - Conclusion

ABOUT THE HOSTS:

Will Nitze is the Founder & CEO at IQBAR - America's leading "brain + body" nutrition startup. With minimal funding, Will has taken IQBAR from zero locations and zero in revenue in 2018 to 10,000+ doors and a projected $50 million in sales in 2024.

Joe Lemay founded Rocketbook with business partner Jake Epstein. After being featured on “Shark Tank”, where the sharks passed on a chance to invest – Joe would go on to grow Rocketbook and sell it to BIC for 40 million dollars just three years later.

Connect with Mike Fata:

Website: https://www.mikefata.ca/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/themikefata/
X: https://twitter.com/themikefata
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themikefata/

Welcome to the first episode of Eating Glass!

In this inaugural episode, ho sts Will Nitze and Joe Lemay sit down with founder Preston Rutherford to dive into his journey starting his company ‘Chubbies’ and how he (and his friends) pioneered some of the raddest, most weekend-built gear ever.

From the benefits (and drawbacks) he experienced by having co-founders and being in a niche product category – to how he managed headwinds, tailwinds and ultimately, to how he successfully exited, you’ll get access to every stage of Preston’s startup journey!

Episode Highlights:

[00:00:00] Intro
[00:09:00] The Early Days of Chubbies
[00:12:21] Funding Chubbies
[00:16:00] How Co-Founders Drove Chubbies' Success
[00:22:10] Polarizing Products and Brand Salience
[00:27:36] Expanding Channels, Facing Headwinds
[00:33:26] Adapting to Fashion Trends & Seasonality
[00:40:40] Maintaining the Spark During Growth
[00:50:44] Navigating Multiple Exit Attempts
[00:56:00] Earned Secrets & Regrets
[01:11:00] Priorities After the Acquisition
[01:16:10] Final Thoughts

ABOUT THE HOSTS:

Will Nitze is the Founder & CEO at IQBAR - America's leading "brain + body" nutrition startup. With minimal funding, Will has taken IQBAR from zero locations and zero in revenue in 2018 to 10,000+ doors and a projected $50 million in sales in 2024.

Joe Lemay founded Rocketbook with business partner Jake Epstein. After being featured on “Shark Tank”, where the sharks passed on a chance to invest – Joe would go on to grow Rocketbook and sell it to BIC for 40 million dollars just three years later.

Connect with Preston Rutherford:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/prestonr/

https://bodaciousbrands.beehiiv.com/p/introducing-bodacious-brands

Welcome to Eating Glass