The Advantage with Mike Wystrach

WiseTrack Co.
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Entrepreneurship

The Advantage is a weekly show for founders and operators. The people building DTC, CPG, and e-commerce companies. Hosted by Mike Wystrach, who built Freshly to $550M+ in revenue and its 2020 sale to Nestlé in a deal valued at up to $1.5 billion, and now invests in and builds consumer businesses. Every episode is a candid, tactical conversation with a founder or operator about how they actually did it: the fundraises that nearly died, the pivots that worked and the ones that didn't, the channels that scaled, the hires that mattered, and the numbers behind them. New episodes every week. Follow the show so you never miss one.

  1. 6d ago

    Everyone Calls It an Overnight Success. It Took 16 Years. | Midland

    Midland's first album went to No. 1 on the country albums chart, and "Drinkin' Problem" earned two Grammy nominations. Before any of that, the band spent close to two years in Texas with no record deal, playing for beer money, and played a New York label showcase to 15 people. Mark Wystrach, the band's lead singer and Mike's twin brother, says the overnight success took 16 years. Recorded backstage at TD Garden in Boston, hours before the show. This episode is presented by Proppel. Hire A-player marketing and ops talent from the US and LATAM, and get 10% off your first hire: https://www.weareproppel.com/theadvantage Follow Mike on Instagram: @mikewystrach — https://instagram.com/mikewystrach In this episode: ◼ How one music video got a band nobody knew into Nashville ◼ Why Cameron Duddy came to the first sessions to film them and left as the bass player ◼ Why a No. 1 album does not mean anyone has been paid ◼ Bruno Mars's offer to sign them, and working every room at the Grammys ◼ Why they spent three and a half years on Insólito tequila before selling a bottle ⏱️ CHAPTERS 00:00 The 16-Year Overnight Success 02:11 Pants Down at the Piano 10:55 Hired to Film, Joined the Band 15:26 One Video Sold Nashville 16:59 Called a Manufactured Boy Band 20:50 Two Years, No Record Deal 24:43 15 People at Mercury Lounge 30:27 Nashville Was the Master's Degree 33:43 A No. 1 Doesn't Pay You 37:28 Working the Room at the Grammys 40:07 Bruno Mars Offered a Deal 41:16 Shower Rehearsal With Tim McGraw 46:10 The Opry Was the Scariest 52:31 10,000 Hours Nobody Sees 54:01 Why a Band Built Tequila 1:02:25 The Truck in Marlboro Man 1:06:55 Final Thoughts and Wrap Up 🔗 MIDLAND Midland → https://www.midlandofficial.com Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/midland/ Insólito Tequila → https://www.insolitotequila.com 🎙️ THE ADVANTAGE Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-advantage-with-mike-wystrach/id6783458081 Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/033DuFkyBRu3qvgp8ozPz1 All episodes → https://mikewystrach.com/podcast ⚡ PRESENTED BY PROPPEL Proppel places marketing and operations talent from the US, LATAM and beyond, from video editors, designers and media buyers to managers, directors and VPs. It's performance-based: a one-off fee only when you hire, no retainers, and a three-month guarantee on every hire. Get 10% off your first hire → https://www.weareproppel.com/theadvantage #Midland #TheAdvantage #MikeWystrach Thumbnail photo of Bruno Mars adapted from "Bruno Mars - 24K Magic Tour" by slgckgc, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

  2. Oct 21

    Our CEO quit with a month of cash left. I took the job | Jordan DeCicco, Super Coffee

    Jordan DeCicco started Super Coffee in a college dorm room with a blender from Rite Aid. All five Sharks passed on it. By 2021 the company had raised $106 million at a valuation above $500 million, with Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez on the cap table. Three years later it had about a month of cash left, and the outside CEO quit on a Sunday call. Jordan took the job himself. This is the first time he has told that part. This episode is presented by Proppel. Hire A-player marketing and ops talent from the US and LATAM, and get 10% off your first hire: https://www.weareproppel.com/theadvantage Follow Mike on Instagram: @mikewystrach — https://instagram.com/mikewystrach In this episode: ◼ Why he gave up a basketball scholarship after three Whole Foods stores ◼ How Shark Tank became leverage with Wegmans and Wawa without a deal ◼ What the board's push to profitability did to revenue ◼ Why he says take 10% of your shares off the table every real round ◼ How a 25-person team got back to $1M of EBITDA ⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 $500M to a Month of Cash 5:28 A Blender From Rite Aid 12:45 One Whole Foods at a Time 17:16 Paid $100K to Drop Out 18:29 All Five Sharks Passed 20:57 $5M to $60M in Two Years 23:56 The $500M Round 26:05 The Outside CEO 28:01 Lost $9M, Then Made $1M 30:09 Know Your Contribution Margin 33:29 The Sunday the CEO Quit 35:32 Then Jimmy Left, Then the CFO 38:42 150 People to 25 45:05 Take 10% Every Round 51:24 Self Pity Does Nothing 53:38 Final Thoughts and Wrap Up 🔗 JORDAN DECICCO Super Coffee → https://drinksupercoffee.com Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/jordan_decicco/ LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-decicco-620637a5/ 🎙️ THE ADVANTAGE YouTube → https://youtu.be/K9HAVrj_SqI All episodes → https://mikewystrach.com/podcast ⚡ PRESENTED BY PROPPEL Proppel places marketing and operations talent from the US, LATAM and beyond, from video editors, designers and media buyers to managers, directors and VPs. It's performance-based: a one-off fee only when you hire, no retainers, and a three-month guarantee on every hire. Get 10% off your first hire → https://www.weareproppel.com/theadvantage

  3. Oct 14

    I built a drink company with Vanessa Hudgens | Oliver Trevena, Caliwater

    Oliver Trevena says he was beaten nearly to death at 21, then used the compensation to move from England to Los Angeles. He became an actor and TV host, and when he started taking business meetings between shoots, his reps dropped him for it. Now he co-founds Caliwater with Vanessa Hudgens, backed by Gerard Butler, Glen Powell and Demi Lovato, and it has launched in Walmart nationwide. This episode is presented by Proppel. Hire A-player marketing and ops talent from the US and LATAM, and get 10% off your first hire: https://www.weareproppel.com/theadvantage Follow Mike on Instagram: @mikewystrach — https://instagram.com/mikewystrach In this episode: ◼ Why a Plan B makes your Plan A better ◼ Why no beverage giant ever creates a new category ◼ Why it takes 20 to 30 touches, not six, before a customer notices you ◼ How Erewhon started stocking Caliwater before his team knew CHAPTERS 0:00 Hollywood to Walmart 1:11 Beaten Nearly to Death at 21 4:44 13,000 Pounds to LA 11:21 "Have You Done It Before?" 17:44 Stick Your Nose In 19:10 Why You Need a Plan B 20:53 My Agents Dropped Me 29:51 Everyone Said Don't Do Beverage 33:12 No Giant Creates a Category 35:19 30 Touches, Not 6 36:16 Erewhon Stocked Us First 43:28 You Have to Sacrifice Something 45:50 Final Thoughts and Wrap Up Caliwater: https://www.drinkcaliwater.com Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/yEIJgS4Rt34 All episodes: https://mikewystrach.com/podcast

  4. Oct 7

    The LinkedIn Posting Formula That Took Him From 1,000 to 400K | Tobi Oluwole

    Tobi Oluwole applied to Shopify seven times before they hired him. At Shopify, he wrote one LinkedIn post using a storytelling framework from his onboarding and woke up to 200,000 impressions on 1,000 followers. He has posted every weekday since May 2020, now has about 400,000 followers, and works three days a week. This episode is presented by Proppel. Hire A-player marketing and ops talent from the US and LATAM, and get 10% off your first hire: https://www.weareproppel.com/theadvantage Follow Mike on Instagram: @mikewystrach ‚ https://instagram.com/mikewystrach In this episode: - Why he won't quit a job until his side income has doubled his salary for six months - His exact posting formula: weekdays, 9am to noon, 8 to 12 lines, one visual - Write 20 stories first: your 10 best and 10 worst moments - How one post filled his inbox with buyers before he had a website - Why he turned down $400K: "You're a shark and I'm a dolphin" CHAPTERS 0:00 1,000 Followers to 400K 1:52 Arsenal at $100K a Week 6:47 Shopify on the Seventh Try 7:47 One Post, 200,000 Impressions 11:43 He Wrote His Own Eulogy 13:19 Your Niche Will Find You 14:44 Write 20 Stories First 15:20 The Weekday Posting Formula 16:47 Your Company Isn't Your Family 17:35 The Six-Month Doubling Rule 23:38 No Website, Just DMs 24:19 Creators vs Money Makers 28:30 $47 Ebook to $750K 31:33 No Alarm, Three-Day Weeks 38:37 $20K a Month, 20 Hours 44:18 He Turned Down $400K 51:52 Final Thoughts and Wrap Up TOBI OLUWOLE LinkedIn ‚ https://www.linkedin.com/in/thetobioluwole Founder's Blueprint ‚ https://foundersblueprint.ai Website ‚ https://www.tobioluwole.com THE ADVANTAGE Apple Podcasts ‚ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-advantage-with-mike-wystrach/id6783458081 Spotify ‚https://open.spotify.com/show/033DuFkyBRu3qvgp8ozPz1 All episodes ‚ https://mikewystrach.com/podcast PRESENTED BY PROPPEL Proppel places marketing and operations talent from the US, LATAM and beyond, from video editors, designers and media buyers to managers, directors and VPs. It's performance-based: a one-off fee only when you hire, no retainers, and a three-month guarantee on every hire. Get 10% off your first hire ‚ https://www.weareproppel.com/theadvantage #TobiOluwole #LinkedIn #TheAdvantage

  5. Sep 30

    I Back Celebrity Brands. Fame Is the Third Thing I Check | Scott Van den Berg, HotStart VC

    Scott Van den Berg invests only in brands founded by celebrities and creators, and the celebrity is the third thing he checks. He started with $10,000 checks and no network in Hollywood. Now his portfolio includes brands from Selena Gomez, DJ Khaled, Jake Paul and Katy Perry. This episode is presented by Proppel. Hire A-player marketing and ops talent from the US and LATAM, and get 10% off your first hire: https://www.weareproppel.com/theadvantage Follow Mike on Instagram: @mikewystrach — https://instagram.com/mikewystrach In this episode: ◼ The 20% equity mistake founders make with celebrities ◼ How to vest a celebrity's equity on work, not posts ◼ Why Kim Kardashian was an Update customer before she was a co-founder ◼ Yeezy's $1.7B collapse and "key celebrity risk" ◼ Why celebrity CPG brands stall near a $1B exit CHAPTERS 00:00 20 Million Followers, No Business 04:04 No Network in Hollywood 04:47 Why Take Equity Over $3M? 06:49 The 20% Equity Mistake 09:13 How Much Equity to Give 12:37 Kim Kardashian Bought It First 14:25 $10,000 Checks, Celebrity Cap Tables 17:49 Celebrities Are Building Tech Now 18:53 CPG Caps Out Near $1B 23:55 Supported, Never Depended On 25:50 Yeezy's $1.7B, Gone Overnight 26:33 The Chamberlain Coffee Problem 31:10 TikTok Sells Chocolate Bars 37:08 Final Thoughts and Wrap Up SCOTT VAN DEN BERG HotStart VC → https://www.hotstart.vc The Fame Game → https://hotstart.beehiiv.com LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-van-den-berg-22b534150/ THE ADVANTAGE Watch on YouTube, Apple Podcasts and Spotify. All episodes → https://mikewystrach.com/podcast PRESENTED BY PROPPEL Proppel places marketing and operations talent from the US, LATAM and beyond, from video editors, designers and media buyers to managers, directors and VPs. It's performance-based: a one-off fee only when you hire, no retainers, and a three-month guarantee on every hire. Get 10% off your first hire → https://www.weareproppel.com/theadvantage

  6. Sep 23

    I made $200K talking to strangers | Josh Suggs, StreetTalk

    Josh Suggs made $200,000 in profit his first summer walking up to strangers in New York parks with a microphone. No website, no personal brand, no connections, no investors. He was sleeping on a friend's couch in an apartment with no Wi-Fi, so every night he carried an SD card to an Apple Store and emailed a public Google Drive link to his one editor in Croatia. He had a 2.1 GPA and spent high school in special ed, in the same house as a twin sister who went to the University of Chicago on a full ride. StreetTalk is now more than 100 people and eight figures of revenue. This episode is presented by Proppel. Hire A-player marketing and ops talent from the US and LATAM, and get 10% off your first hire: https://www.weareproppel.com/theadvantage Follow Mike on Instagram: @mikewystrach — https://instagram.com/mikewystrach Josh breaks down the offer he cold-pitched to brand founders on Twitter, the phone call that got his mother's blessing to leave Syracuse, and the merger that made it an agency. What you'll learn in this episode: ◼ The Westport Front Porch play: free lessons traded for posts in a town's mom Facebook group, then the same play on founders ◼ The B2B influencer read: Ridge's Sean Frank is not a wallet CEO, he is followed by 100,000 other consumer CEOs ◼ The $5,000 offer: ten strangers reacting to your product, edited, ready to run, sold with no audience of his own ◼ The reps moat: 20,000 of these ads, 30,000 steps a day, and why a client cannot send a replacement ◼ His team, my offer: the Missouri merger that took two people to a $3 million run rate in three months ◼ The Media Mafia earnings call: eight founders under 23 reporting numbers monthly, $3.75 million last month If you are young, broke and convinced you need a credential before you can start, this one is about the reps nobody else will do. CHAPTERS 0:00 $200K Talking to Strangers 3:33 $45,000 Teaching Kids Tennis 6:21 $5,000 for Ten Interviews 8:54 Uploading at the Apple Store 12:34 My Moat Is 20,000 Ads 15:42 Mom's Friend Said Drop Out 19:50 His Team, My Offer 21:14 "I'm Why You Dropped Out" 27:19 He Owned the Magic Castle 35:32 A $3,000 Retainer at Fifteen 41:15 Collect Nos, Not Yeses 43:57 One-Way and Two-Way Doors 54:12 The Media Mafia Earnings Call 56:49 You Are a Time Billionaire 59:57 Final Thoughts and Wrap Up CONNECT WITH JOSH SUGGS StreetTalk → https://streettalk.com X → https://x.com/joshsuggss All episodes → https://mikewystrach.com/podcast PRESENTED BY PROPPEL Your business is only as good as the people in it, and finding real A players is one of the hardest things you'll do. Proppel specializes in marketing and operations talent, placing top people from the US, LATAM and beyond. Whether you need video editors, graphic designers, or media buyers from LATAM, or managers, directors, heads of department and VPs in the US, they'll help you build the team you actually need to grow. It's all performance-based. You pay a one-off fee only once you actually hire someone, so no retainers and no ongoing costs. Every hire comes with a three-month guarantee. Get 10% off your first hire → https://www.weareproppel.com/theadvantage

    I made $200K talking to strangers | Josh Suggs, StreetTalk

  7. Sep 16

    She Got 1,000 No's Now Her Company Does $250M A Year | Katerina Schneider

    Kat Schneider counted a 1,000 no's before Ritual worked. She was a venture partner running 70 companies for Troy Carter when she got pregnant, went looking for a prenatal vitamin, and could not find one that would tell her where the ingredients came from. She quit 4 months pregnant. One of the best known investors in LA told her to her face she could start a business or a family but there was no way in hell she was doing both. She has three daughters and a company that did more than $250 million in revenue in 2024. This episode is presented by Proppel. https://www.weareproppel.com/theadvantage Follow Mike on Instagram: https://instagram.com/mikewystrach What you'll learn in this episode: • Why she held back a finished product customers were actively asking for • The proof stack under a single SKU: traceable supply chain, USP verification that under 1% of vitamins carry, a university clinical study, a patent • Why this business had to raise venture money when most supplement brands should not • The advice she forgot for two years and had to relearn: make yourself replaceable, then do not step back in • Why waiting for a co-founder is the excuse she hears from women founders and almost never from men • What she does with a no now • The rule of three she uses to kill the guilt about what is not getting done this week • Why every generational company was built by somebody with no experience in the category If you are building something in a category that does not trust you yet, or sitting on a second product you are not sure you have earned the right to launch, this one is about the sequencing almost nobody gets right. CHAPTERS 0:00 1,000 No's, Then $250M 1:44 $50 and a Suitcase 4:54 Running 70 Companies at 30 9:05 The Label Told Her Nothing 10:13 Quitting Four Months Pregnant 11:39 "Business or Family, Not Both" 14:44 Phil Knight Was an Accountant 18:38 His Business, Her "Project" 19:29 Pumping on a Broken Escalator 22:07 When You Need Venture Money 23:16 $5M on Clinical Studies 24:47 One Product for Two Years 26:19 She Sat on the Prenatal 27:56 The Product Is the Moat 28:36 Build for the Skeptic 29:20 One Brand Changed the Law 34:46 $250M Feels Like Nothing 39:17 A Decade In, a Coach 40:55 Make Yourself Replaceable 47:22 The Co-Founder Cop-Out 49:09 Why a No Excites Her 51:42 Three No's, Then the Check 54:49 The Rule of Three 58:47 Final Thoughts and Wrap Up CONNECT WITH KAT SCHNEIDER Ritual → https://ritual.com LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/katerinamarkov FOLLOW THE ADVANTAGE All episodes → https://mikewystrach.com/podcast PRESENTED BY PROPPEL Proppel places A-player marketing and operations talent from the US, LATAM and beyond: video editors, graphic designers and media buyers through to managers, directors and VPs. Performance-based, a one-off fee only once you actually hire, no retainers, no ongoing costs, and every hire carries a three-month guarantee. Get 10% off your first hire → https://www.weareproppel.com/theadvantage

  8. Sep 9

    How to take the leap from corporate to entrepreneurship | Addison LaBonte

    Addison LaBonte is the founder of Sweet Addison's, a gluten-free dessert brand she started in her apartment kitchen in January 2024 and still owns outright. She built the customers first and the company second. This episode is presented by Proppel. Hire A-player marketing and ops talent from the US and LATAM, and get 10% off your first hire: https://www.weareproppel.com/theadvantage Follow Mike on Instagram: https://instagram.com/mikewystrach A doctor told her she could have surgery for compartment syndrome or stop running for good. She took a third option, cut gluten, and ran again. Almost nothing had been written about any of it, so she started posting her own recipes. In 2022 she posted a different cookie recipe every day for 25 days. A few hit five million views, and the replies asked where to buy. Sweet Addison's launched thirteen months later on about $5,000. Month one did seven to eight thousand dollars with no paid marketing at all. No outside money, no board, and she still self-manufactures everything the company sells. By her own estimate ninety-nine percent of America has never heard of Sweet Addison's, which she offers as the reason to be excited rather than the thing to fix. ⏱️ CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Intro 00:02:29 Why A Walk-On Athlete Makes A Better Founder 00:05:26 The Diagnosis That Ended Her Running Career 00:09:36 Getting Fired Was The Best Thing That Happened To Her 00:14:22 The 25-Day Posting Streak That Built Her Customer List 00:15:10 The TSA Moment That Started A Cookie Company 00:19:53 How She Made $7,000 In Month One With No Ads 00:35:23 When To Turn On Paid Ads, And Why She Waited 00:45:32 The Fear That Stops Most People From Starting 00:49:42 How To Start A Brand For $5,000 And Keep 100% 🔗 ADDISON LABONTE Sweet Addison's: https://sweetaddisons.com Organically Addison: https://organicallyaddison.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/organicallyaddison Sweet Addison's on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sweet.addisons 🎙️ THE ADVANTAGE Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-advantage-with-mike-wystrach/id6783458081 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033DuFkyBRu3qvgp8ozPz1 All episodes: https://mikewystrach.com/podcast ⚡ PRESENTED BY PROPPEL Proppel places A-player marketing and operations talent from the US, LATAM and beyond: video editors, graphic designers and media buyers through to managers, directors and VPs. Performance-based, a one-off fee only once you actually hire, no retainers, no ongoing costs, and every hire carries a three-month guarantee. Get 10% off your first hire: https://www.weareproppel.com/theadvantage #AddisonLaBonte #SweetAddisons #TheAdvantage #MikeWystrach

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

The Advantage is a weekly show for founders and operators. The people building DTC, CPG, and e-commerce companies. Hosted by Mike Wystrach, who built Freshly to $550M+ in revenue and its 2020 sale to Nestlé in a deal valued at up to $1.5 billion, and now invests in and builds consumer businesses. Every episode is a candid, tactical conversation with a founder or operator about how they actually did it: the fundraises that nearly died, the pivots that worked and the ones that didn't, the channels that scaled, the hires that mattered, and the numbers behind them. New episodes every week. Follow the show so you never miss one.

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