Command Your Brand

Jeremy Ryan Slate

Command Your Brand interviews visionary founders that are amplifying the impact of others and making the world a better place. They are the individuals creating the future and changing the landscape of business.

  1. -11 h

    She Started a Dating Site for Foodies. Killing It Was the Best Decision She Made.

    Michelle Mazzara's first business was an online dating site for foodies. She was first to market. Six months in, she shut it down. Twelve years later, Luvafoodie is a clean-eating spice brand sold through regional grocery — and about to make the jump to national. In this episode of the Command Your Brand Show, Jeremy Ryan Slate talks with Michelle about what it actually takes to kill a good idea fast, build a consumer brand from nothing, and get a product onto a grocery shelf and keep it there. In this conversation: - Why she walked away from a first-to-market idea after six months - How selling caramels in local Minnesota stores became the test that proved the brand - Why short shelf life killed the chocolate line — and led to spices - A heart disease misdiagnosis, and the salt-free product line that came out of it - The spice blend she developed for her dog Lucy, who lived to 17 and a half - Why packaging aesthetics are "the communication that happens before communication" - The scary move she's making right now: spice tins to shaker jars, and a new co-packer - Be a big fish in a small pond first — the local-to-regional-to-national path - Exactly how she got from single stores into a grocery chain's distribution center - What she won't co-brand with, and why - Being a solo woman founder: total freedom, and nobody to check you If you're building a physical product, or you're sitting on a first idea you suspect isn't working, this one is worth your time. 👇 COMMENT BELOW: What's the thing you should have quit six months sooner? CHAPTERS: 00:00 Intro 00:25 Where the brand came from 00:39 It started as a dating site for foodies 01:32 How do you know it's the right pivot? 02:00 Testing the brand with caramels in local stores 03:01 Why chocolate didn't work — and spices did 03:36 A heart disease misdiagnosis and the salt-free line 04:30 Why she couldn't compete with Match.com 05:51 Was the pivot hard mentally? 06:41 25 years in consumer packaged goods — Target and Walmart 08:02 The salt-free niche nobody was serving 08:52 Food dyes and the clean-eating shift 10:07 Spices for dogs and cats 10:57 Lucy: seizures, a wrong diagnosis, and 17 and a half years 12:20 The science of the retail display 13:00 Why aesthetics sell food 13:49 The scary move: spice tins to shaker jars 15:59 "The communication that happens before communication" 18:02 How she got the message out for 12 years 19:35 Be a big fish in a small pond first 19:57 From single stores to a distribution center 21:08 What's in the line now 23:01 What she won't co-brand with 23:52 Solo founder: freedom and its cost 24:51 How do you command your brand? 25:50 Where to find Michelle 26:59 The Puglia culinary tour CONNECT WITH MICHELLE MAZZARA: Luvafoodie: https://luvafoodie.com The Making of a Luvafoodie Brand (memoir/cookbook): https://www.amazon.com/Making-Luvafoodie%C2%AE-Brand-Clean-Eating-Revolution-ebook/dp/B0DLH84YB8 Luvafoodie Spice Blends Cookbook: https://www.amazon.com/Luvafoodie-Blends-Cookbook-Michelle-Mazzara/dp/1708273026 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-mazzara-83853b7/

    She Started a Dating Site for Foodies. Killing It Was the Best Decision She Made.
  2. -4 zile

    He Interviewed 1,100 People. The Happiest Weren't the Most Successful.

    After 1,100 podcast interviews, Leigh Martinuzzi noticed something he didn't expect: the happiest people he spoke to weren't the most famous or the most successful. They were the most aligned. In this episode of the Command Your Brand Show, Jeremy Ryan Slate sits down with Leigh — host of The Hidden Why podcast and a real estate agent on Australia's Sunshine Coast — to unpack what a decade and 1,100 conversations taught him about goals, purpose, and why so many people hit their targets and still feel flat. In this conversation: - Why misaligned goals are the reason achievement stops feeling good - The Life Compass — values, needs, strengths, passions — and how to identify yours - Whether most people know what they want, or have just been told what to want - How to bring your values into a job you don't love - Why Jeremy thinks "burn the boats" is bad advice for a passion project - Where ambition actually comes from (Leigh doesn't think purpose is innate) - The reward you should set at the same moment you set the goal - Why responsibility and agency are the foundation of fulfillment - Leigh's current goal: going from solo operator to building a team Whether you're chasing the next milestone or you've hit the milestones and wondered why it didn't land, this one's worth your time. 👇 COMMENT BELOW: When you hit a goal, do you actually stop and mark it — or do you just start the next one? CHAPTERS: 00:00 Intro 00:34 Who Leigh Martinuzzi is 01:55 The goal-setting trap most people fall into 02:14 What 1,100 interviews revealed about who's actually happy 02:54 The Life Compass: values, needs, strengths, passions 03:57 How to find your non-negotiables 05:48 Do you know what you want — or were you told? 07:04 Chasing a passion when you still have bills to pay 08:51 The scroll nobody sets a boundary on 10:28 Why "burn the boats" is bad advice 11:20 Side project or all in? 12:33 Where ambition actually comes from 15:02 Can you be comfortable and still be hungry? 17:28 The thing we're both terrible at: celebrating wins 19:24 Responsibility, agency, and why blame kills joy 20:39 Leigh's biggest goal right now 21:54 Where to find Leigh and The Hidden Why CONNECT WITH LEIGH MARTINUZZI: The Hidden Why: https://www.thehiddenwhy.com The Hidden Why Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-hidden-why-podcast/id1073237660 Martinuzzi Property Group: https://martinuzzi.com.au

    He Interviewed 1,100 People. The Happiest Weren't the Most Successful.
  3. 7 aug.

    Why You’re Probably Paying Too Much in Taxes

    Are you paying more in taxes than you legally need to? Dr. Veronica Everett Boyce believes one of the biggest financial mistakes entrepreneurs and everyday Americans make is relying entirely on other people to understand the tax code for them. In this episode of the Command Your Brand Show, Jeremy Ryan Slate sits down with Dr. V, founder of Dr. V's Tree of Life, to discuss tax education, wealth, responsibility, service, and why understanding how the tax system actually works can change the way you think about your money. Dr. V shares her own experience facing more than $180,000 in IRS debt and explains why that experience pushed her to spend years studying tax law. She argues that understanding the rules isn't about illegally evading taxes—it's about becoming educated enough to ask better questions and make informed decisions. In this conversation, you'll discover: • Why so many people never learn how taxes actually work • The difference between tax avoidance and tax evasion • Why business owners shouldn't completely outsource financial knowledge • How tax planning connects to wealth and legacy • Why Dr. V believes financial education starts with personal responsibility • The role tax-exempt structures can play in certain circumstances • Why keeping more money isn't the end goal—it's what you do with it • How entrepreneurs can think differently about service and purpose If you're an entrepreneur, CEO, founder, or business owner who wants to better understand money, taxes, and wealth creation, this conversation will challenge the way you think. IMPORTANT: This conversation is for educational purposes only and should not be considered individualized tax, legal, or financial advice. Consult qualified professionals regarding your specific circumstances. 🚀 Want to build your authority and get your message in front of the right audiences through podcast guesting? Apply to work with Command Your Brand: www.commandyourbrand.com 👇 COMMENT BELOW: What's one thing you wish you had been taught about taxes before starting a business? CHAPTERS: 00:00 Why Americans Overpay in Taxes 01:27 Why We're Never Taught the Tax Code 03:16 Understanding Tax Laws and Your Money 06:16 Why Schools Don't Teach Taxes 08:11 Teaching Your Children About Wealth 10:23 How Dr. V Started Studying Tax Law 13:01 Why You Can't Outsource Financial Knowledge 15:21 Using Tax Planning to Build a Legacy 18:03 The Tree of Life Tax Framework 20:59 Understanding Tax-Exempt Structures 23:33 Tax Avoidance vs. Tax Evasion 24:30 Building Generational Wealth 26:17 Keeping More Money to Serve More 26:49 How to Learn More From Dr. V #TaxStrategies #TaxPlanning #Entrepreneurship #WealthBuilding #BusinessOwners ________________________________________________________________________ ⇩ LOOKING TO COMMAND YOUR BRAND? ⇩ BOOK A CALL: With Our Team to See How We Can Help https://commandyourbrand.com/book-a-call/ BOOK: Grab Your Copy of Our Book, Command Your Brand: Grow Your Impact, Income and Influence in the New Media Landscape, Rated the # PR Book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Command-Your-Brand-Influence-Landscape/dp/B0CJXGKD15 ________________________________________________________________ DOWNLOAD AUDIO PODCAST & GIVE A 5 STAR RATING!: APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/ro/podcast/command-your-brand/id1570323509 SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/0wE8jDVdlpsDCmNx8sYZTQ?si=41fd776e1a6b43be (also available Google Podcasts & wherever else podcasts are streamed _________________________________________________________________ ⇩ OTHER VIDEO PLATFORMS ⇩ ➤ RUMBLE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rInZbdlLiU _________________________________________________________________ ⇩ SOCIAL MEDIA ⇩ ➤ TWITTER: https://twitter.com/CYBmedia ➤ INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/commandyourbrand ➤ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/commandyourbrand _________________________________________________________________ ➤ CONTACT: INFO@COMMANDYOURBRAND.COM

    Why You’re Probably Paying Too Much in Taxes

Detalii

Command Your Brand interviews visionary founders that are amplifying the impact of others and making the world a better place. They are the individuals creating the future and changing the landscape of business.