The Story of a Brand Show

CommerceFocused Media, Inc.

Welcome to The Story Of A Brand Show. Hear the unique entrepreneurial journeys of 1000+ Consumer Brand founders. We tap into the doubts, failures, wins and inspirations that come with building Consumer Brand startups in extremely competitive times. Whether you own a brand or work for one, you will learn from our guests as they share the building blocks of their brand's evolution. Who knows, you may even discover a few new products that become faves.

  1. Eli Health - Your Hormones Are Talking. Are You Listening?

    4h ago

    Eli Health - Your Hormones Are Talking. Are You Listening?

    Most people get their hormone levels tested once a year — if they think about it at all. Marina Pavlovic Rivas, Co-Founder & CEO of Eli Health, is on a mission to change that.  Ramon Vela sits down with Marina for a fascinating conversation about the technology she spent nearly seven years building: a saliva-based, at-home hormone monitoring platform that delivers cortisol, testosterone, and progesterone results to your phone in minutes, giving people real-time visibility into one of the most overlooked dimensions of their health. * The gap nobody was solving. After searching online for a way to track her own hormonal data, Marina realized the product didn't exist. So she built it, spending more than six years on R&D, regulatory approval, and venture capital before bringing it to market. * Hormones affect everything, not just fertility. From energy and mood to sleep, libido, bone health, cardiac health, and cognitive performance, Marina breaks down why hormonal data is one of the most important and most underused signals in personal wellness. * The wearable parallel that puts it all in context. Checking your hormones once a year is like measuring your heartbeat once a year: technically useful, but dangerously incomplete. Eli Health gives users the same continuous feedback loop that smartwatches brought to sleep and heart rate. * A six-second saliva test. Results in 20 minutes. Users collect saliva, wait 20 minutes, then photograph the test to receive results directly in the app. Repeat over time and you build a hormonal picture that no annual blood draw could ever provide. * Cortisol first, for good reason. Eli launched with cortisol because it sits at the top of the hormonal cascade. When cortisol is off, everything else follows. Testosterone and progesterone, including their interactions, are coming next. Join us in listening to this episode for a genuinely eye-opening conversation about hormonal health, the future of at-home diagnostics, and what it means to build a category that didn't exist before you created it.  Whether you're a health-conscious consumer, a founder, or someone who just wants to understand what their body is actually telling them, this one is for you.  Visit: https://eli.health/ Try their Instant Cortisol Test: https://eli.health/products/cortisol?view=sl-44128C61 If you enjoyed this episode, please leave The Story of a Brand Show a rating and review.  Plus, don't forget to follow us on Apple and Spotify.  Your support helps us bring you more content like this! * Today's Sponsors: Saral - The Influencer OS: https://www.getsaral.com/demo SARAL is the all-in-one influencer platform that finds brand-aligned creators, automates outreach, and manages everything in one place. Request a live demo today. Let the SARAL team know you're a The Story of a Brand Show podcast listener to get an extended free trial! Visit the link above.

    1h 4m
  2. Snakkidz - The Snack Bar Your Kids Will Actually Eat

    May 21

    Snakkidz - The Snack Bar Your Kids Will Actually Eat

    What if the snack in your kid's lunchbox was doing more harm than good?  Ramon Vela sits down with Steve Weiss, Co-Founder of Snakkidz, for a warm and eye-opening conversation about the state of kids' nutrition, the problem with processed snacks, and the family business born from one dad's refusal to settle for the status quo.  Snakkidz makes chewy, gluten-free, better-for-you snack bars for kids — no dyes, no seed oils, low sugar, and short ingredient lists — and Steve's passion for educating parents is as compelling as the product itself. * It started with a kindergarten worksheet. When Steve's son came home with a word find sponsored by junk food brands, something clicked. That moment, combined with his manufacturing cousins' vision, sparked a family business built on the belief that kids deserve better — and parents deserve the truth. * The label lesson every parent needs. Steve breaks down exactly what to look for in a kids' snack: no artificial dyes, low sugar, no seed oils, and as few ingredients as possible. Simple rules that most popular snack brands quietly fail. * Kids have to love it — or it doesn't matter. Snakkidz went back to the drawing board on early flavors based on real consumer feedback. The result is a line of chewy, non-crumbling bars in flavors like Chunky Monkey, Strawberry, and Chocolate Chip that kids actually ask for again. * Lead by example, not by lecture. Steve and Ramon share a genuine conversation about how healthy habits in kids start with what parents model at home — from cooking together to reading labels to showing, not telling. * A family business built on trust. With a manufacturing background on one side of the family and marketing expertise on the other, Snakkidz was built on complementary skills and mutual respect — and that foundation shows in every decision they make. Join us in listening to this episode for a candid, practical, and genuinely heartfelt conversation about kids' health, nutrition education, and what it really takes to build a better-for-you brand from scratch.  Whether you're a parent looking for a snack you can feel good about or a founder building in the food space — this one is worth your time.    To learn more about Snakkidz, visit: https://snakkidz.com/ If you enjoyed this episode, please leave The Story of a Brand Show a rating and review.  Plus, don't forget to follow us on Apple and Spotify.  Your support helps us bring you more content like this! * Today's Sponsors: Saral - The Influencer OS: https://www.getsaral.com/demo SARAL is the all-in-one influencer platform that finds brand-aligned creators, automates outreach, and manages everything in one place. Request a live demo today. Let the SARAL team know you're a The Story of a Brand Show podcast listener to get an extended free trial! Visit the link above.

    54 min
  3. LensDirect  -  The Founder Who Refused to Quit

    May 20

    LensDirect - The Founder Who Refused to Quit

    He sold the family business, watched someone else run it into the ground, and then bought it back.  Rose Hamilton, CEO of Compass Rose Ventures and co-host of The Story of a Brand Show, sits down with Ryan Alovis, CEO of LensDirect.com, for one of the most honest and layered founder conversations the show has ever hosted.   LensDirect has been in Ryan's family for a hundred years; from a great-grandfather selling frames off a pushcart on the Lower East Side to one of the most fiercely independent online vision care companies in America.  This is not a comeback story. It's a discipline story. * The buyback nobody saw coming. After LensDirect was sold by his family in 2004, Ryan spent years building subscription businesses before he spotted an opportunity to acquire it back. What he bought wasn't a thriving business — it was bruised, small, and undervalued. He saw the soul everyone else had overlooked. * Independence as a competitive strategy. In a category racing toward consolidation and capital, Ryan made a deliberate choice to stay independent, stay lean, and build brick by brick — even when overcapitalized competitors made it look like they were winning. * The $10 million bet that almost didn't pay off. Ryan made a massive infrastructure investment right before COVID hit. He breaks down why that decision — which could have sunk everything — ultimately became one of the defining moves in LensDirect's modern chapter. * Growth without identity is just expansion. Ryan and Rose dig into what it really means to modernize a legacy brand without erasing its soul — and why protecting the core identity matters more than chasing every shiny opportunity the market throws at you. * Working with family is a leadership story. From his father to his brother, LensDirect has always had family threads running through it. Ryan shares what he's learned about patience, boundaries, and why there can only be one person calling the real shots. Join us in listening to this episode for a masterclass in founder discipline, brand identity, and what it really means to earn the right to exist in a competitive category — brick by brick.    Whether you're building, acquiring, or figuring out your brand's next chapter, this conversation will give you a lot to think about.  For more on LensDirect visit: https://www.lensdirect.com/ If you enjoyed this episode, please leave The Story of a Brand Show a rating and review.  Plus, don't forget to follow us on Apple and Spotify.  Your support helps us bring you more content like this!

    55 min
  4. Boarderie  -  How Boarderie Cracked the Code on Premium D2C Food

    May 13

    Boarderie - How Boarderie Cracked the Code on Premium D2C Food

    Most edible gifting businesses don't work at scale, the logistics are brutal, the margins get squeezed, and the moment quality slips, the whole experience breaks. Rachel Solomon Fascitelli built Boarderie anyway, and it worked.  Rose Hamilton, CEO of Compass Rose Ventures and co-host of The Story of a Brand Show, sits down with Rachel to unpack how a finance background, a COVID pivot, and an obsession with operational precision turned a 2,000 square foot commissary kitchen into one of the most impressive D2C food businesses in America. * A category nobody else wanted — and exactly why she chose it. Rachel saw what others missed: a $100+ year-old edible gifting category that had never been innovated on, wide open for a founder willing to do the hard operational work to get there. * Profitable from day one, on purpose. With a finance mind running the growth engine, Boarderie was never going to be a "grow now, profit later" story. Rachel treated the ad account like a trading account — efficient CAC, disciplined spend, and a relentless focus on the bottom line from the very beginning. * Premium execution is an operations story, not a branding story. Shipping 35,000 handmade boards a day during peak season, with FedEx turning planes around in Memphis to keep up — the wow moment customers experience starts hours before the box ever opens. * Bootstrap founders learn what funded founders often don't. When there's no safety net, you have no choice but to figure it out. Rachel's team did every job themselves — paid media, content, logistics, production — before hiring anyone to do it for them. * Don't build for the coastal bubble. Build for the country. Rachel's sharpest advice for founders: stop chasing what's trendy in New York and LA, and start asking what the rest of America actually needs. That's where the real white space lives. Join us in listening to this episode for one of the most practically useful founder conversations we've had in a while. Rachel doesn't just inspire — she gives you a framework.   From bootstrapping to Shark Tank to scaling dessert as a second category, this is a masterclass in what it really takes to build a profitable, operationally excellent consumer brand.  For more on Boarderie visit: https://boarderie.com/ If you enjoyed this episode, please leave The Story of a Brand Show a rating and review.  Plus, don't forget to follow us on Apple and Spotify.  Your support helps us bring you more content like this!

    55 min
  5. The Mind Company - Train Your Brain Like You Train Your Body

    May 12

    The Mind Company - Train Your Brain Like You Train Your Body

    Ramon Vela sits down with Dan Kessler, COO of The Mind Company, for a conversation that starts with a sobering question: what's actually happening to the human brain right now and what can we do about it?  The Mind Company is the only company in the world to win App of the Year twice, from both Apple and Google, and with three distinct apps — Elevate, Balance, and Spark — it's quietly building one of the most compelling mental fitness platforms in the world. * The data behind the mental fitness crisis. Average attention spans have dropped from two and a half minutes to just 47 seconds in the last two decades. IQs are declining. Critical thinking is being outsourced to AI. Dan breaks down the numbers and why the stakes have never been higher. * Three apps, one mission. Elevate sharpens cognitive skills through brain training games. Balance delivers highly personalized meditation, mindfulness, and sleep support. And Spark, the newest app, is a daily puzzle experience for curious people who want to learn something new every single day. * Human creativity in a world of AI shortcuts. In an app store flooded with AI-generated products, The Mind Company builds everything with human editors, writers, and designers. Dan makes the case that judgment, taste, and creativity can't be automated and The Mind Company is proof. * The right framework beats founder mode. Dan shares his management philosophy: give people responsibility before they've earned it, build clear decision-making frameworks, and trust your team to grow. It's how he's built every company he's been a part of. * Mental fitness is the superpower nobody is talking about. Whether you're a founder, a parent, or just trying to stay sharp in a distracted world, Dan's message is clear: take care of your brain the way you take care of your body — and start now. Join us in listening to this episode for a fascinating and genuinely thought-provoking conversation about the state of the human mind, what mental fitness actually means, and why the apps The Mind Company has built might be the most important ones on your phone.  To explore all three apps — Elevate, Balance, and Spark — available now on iOS and Android, visit The Mind Company: https://themindcompany.com/  If you enjoyed this episode, please leave The Story of a Brand Show a rating and review.  Plus, don't forget to follow us on Apple and Spotify.  Your support helps us bring you more content like this! * Today's Sponsors: Saral - The Influencer OS: https://www.getsaral.com/demo SARAL is the all-in-one influencer platform that finds brand-aligned creators, automates outreach, and manages everything in one place. Request a live demo today. Let the SARAL team know you're a The Story of a Brand Show podcast listener to get an extended free trial! Visit the link above.

    58 min
  6. PawCo & Genius Dog - Your Dog is Like Family. Feed them Like it.

    Apr 30

    PawCo & Genius Dog - Your Dog is Like Family. Feed them Like it.

    Ramon Vela sits down with Mahsa Vazin, PhD, Founder & CEO of PawCo, for a conversation that's as much about love and purpose as it is about pet nutrition.  Mahsa didn't set out to disrupt the pet food industry — she set out to take better care of her dog, Paco. What follows is a story of science, conviction, and a growing movement of pet parents who believe their dogs deserve a whole lot more than a bowl of kibble. * A founder story that starts with a dog named Paco. After her PhD in nanoscience and time as an early scientist at Impossible Foods, Mahsa couldn't find a single pet food she felt good about. PawCo was born from that search. * The next generation of pet food. Fresh, plant-based recipes formulated with probiotics, postbiotics, and targeted health toppers for gut health, joints, skin, coat, and heart, treating dogs the way health-conscious pet parents treat themselves. * Genius Dog: beyond food, into the bond. Launching in May with a NASDAQ Tower announcement, Genius Dog is a monthly subscription box built around the idea that dogs thrive when they experience new things. Popcorn. Champagne. Games. Things your dog can't find anywhere else. * Don't wait until you're ready. Mahsa's most hard-won lesson: launch before it's perfect, build a team that believes in the mission, and let the customer feedback shape what comes next. * Impact as the north star. From shelter donations to customers whose allergic dogs finally found food that works, Mahsa measures success one dog at a time. Join us in listening to this episode for a warm, genuine conversation about building a brand from the heart and why pet wellness is just getting started.  For more on PawCo, visit: https://www.mypawco.com/ For more on Genius Dog, visit: https://geniusdog.com/ If you enjoyed this episode, please leave The Story of a Brand Show a rating and review.  Plus, don't forget to follow us on Apple and Spotify.  Your support helps us bring you more content like this! * Today's Sponsors: Saral - The Influencer OS: https://www.getsaral.com/demo SARAL is the all-in-one influencer platform that finds brand-aligned creators, automates outreach, and manages everything in one place. Request a live demo today. Let the SARAL team know you're a The Story of a Brand Show podcast listener to get an extended free trial! Visit the link above.

    46 min
  7. Cloud Water Filters  -  Clean Water Isn't a Given Anymore

    Apr 29

    Cloud Water Filters - Clean Water Isn't a Given Anymore

    Rose Hamilton, CEO of Compass Rose Ventures and co-host of The Story of a Brand Show, sits down with Ben Zvaifler, Founder & CEO of Cloud Water Filters, for a conversation that cuts right to the heart of one of the most overlooked categories in consumer wellness.  Cloud isn't just a better water filter, it's a second-act founder's bet that the water sitting quietly under your kitchen sink is the next major frontier in the modern health-conscious home. * A second-act founder who chose harder, on purpose. After selling Pupbox to Petco, Ben applied everything he learned about recurring revenue and brand trust to tackle a far bigger, more complex problem: a water filtration category that hadn't meaningfully innovated in decades. * "Safe to drink" and "healthy to drink" are not the same thing. From PFAS forever chemicals to lead pipes contaminating water between the treatment plant and your home, Ben breaks down why reverse osmosis is the only technology that truly creates a clean slate. * The black box problem no one was solving. Legacy systems gave consumers zero visibility. Cloud's connected app delivers real-time water quality data, intelligent filter-change alerts, and remote diagnostics — turning a forgotten appliance into a trusted relationship. * Data as a moat. The behavioral and water quality data Cloud captures powers a customer service experience legacy players simply can't replicate — and drives the kind of lifetime retention that makes the unit economics work. * Demand was never the problem — hardware is hard. Chip shortages, tariffs, and capital-intensive inventory have been the real challenge. Ben's candor here is a masterclass in what experienced founders understand that first-timers often don't. Join us in listening to this episode for a genuinely eye-opening conversation about water, wellness, and what it really means to build a modern consumer brand in a category that's been quietly ignored for far too long.  Whether you're a founder, an operator, or someone who just wants to know what's actually in the water your family drinks every day, this one is worth your time.    For more on Cloud Water Filters visit: https://www.cloudwaterfilters.com/ If you enjoyed this episode, please leave The Story of a Brand Show a rating and review.  Plus, don't forget to follow us on Apple and Spotify.  Your support helps us bring you more content like this!

    52 min
  8. Acely - He Scaled AllTrails. Now He's Coming for the SAT.

    Apr 28

    Acely - He Scaled AllTrails. Now He's Coming for the SAT.

    Ramon Vela sits down with Ron Schneidermann, CEO of Acely, for a conversation that spans two decades of startup building, a category-defining exit, and a brand-new mission to help high school students conquer the SAT and ACT.  Ron is the kind of founder who doesn't just build companies he transforms categories. From scaling AllTrails from a six-person team to a household name, to launching Acely with his daughter as his first inspiration, this is a story about pattern recognition, relentless optimism, and knowing when it's time to go again. * AllTrails: the pivot that changed everything. Ron took over a struggling six-person app in 2015 and made one bold call on day one; stop targeting hardcore hikers and start welcoming everyone. That single brand pivot helped turn AllTrails into one of the most beloved outdoor apps in the world. * The pandemic bet that paid off. When COVID hit and outdoor recreation stopped overnight, Ron pushed all the chips in instead of retreating. By the end of that summer, everything had changed. * Hire smarter. Then get out of the way. Ron's operating philosophy: learner's mindset always, surround yourself with people better than you, give them a clear target, and let them run. * Acely: a dad trying to help his daughter. An AI-powered SAT and ACT prep platform with 14,000 questions, 50 full-length tests, and adaptive study plans — built for a generation that lives on their phones. * Why niche beats horizontal every time. In a world of AI platforms trying to be everything to everyone, Ron is betting on vertical depth and the kind of trust that big platforms simply can't earn. Join me, Ramon Vela, in listening to this episode for one of the most candid conversations about what it actually takes to build and scale a consumer brand not once, but four times.  Whether you have a high schooler prepping for college admissions or you're a founder looking for a real talk on scaling, this one delivers. Visit acely.com to learn more. For more on Acely, visit: https://acely.com/ If you enjoyed this episode, please leave The Story of a Brand Show a rating and review.  Plus, don't forget to follow us on Apple and Spotify.  Your support helps us bring you more content like this! * Today's Sponsors: Saral - The Influencer OS: https://www.getsaral.com/demo SARAL is the all-in-one influencer platform that finds brand-aligned creators, automates outreach, and manages everything in one place. Request a live demo today. Let the SARAL team know you're a The Story of a Brand Show podcast listener to get an extended free trial! Visit the link above.

    1h 15m
4.9
out of 5
135 Ratings

About

Welcome to The Story Of A Brand Show. Hear the unique entrepreneurial journeys of 1000+ Consumer Brand founders. We tap into the doubts, failures, wins and inspirations that come with building Consumer Brand startups in extremely competitive times. Whether you own a brand or work for one, you will learn from our guests as they share the building blocks of their brand's evolution. Who knows, you may even discover a few new products that become faves.

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