OPERATORS

I really like this podcast and as an operator I find a lot of the information very valuable thought most of the good insights come from Sean. I would recommend talking about some of the challenges they are facing or issues they have with the business. As an operator of a DTC business myself it’s unrealistic to believe that everything is going so well in every aspect of their businesses. Also Jason Panzer needs to stop mentioning that he worked in investment banking every episode!

Can be hit or miss. Often has great ecom insights. However, they come across as fascists when they veer into politics.

I've been listening since to Operators since it came out - the content lives up to the name. 3 of the 4 guys are true operators, people who are in the weeds of their business and want to keep pushing growth. Sean is exceptional at spotting trends across DTC. He always leaves me with a new thought to explore. He's the true "star" of the show with a big personality - but the ideas and insight to match. Mike has really pushed my thinking on people and leadership. Every time he speaks, I know I'm going to get a measured, respected view on the topic. Matt continually shares a nuanced perspective - both his successes and failures. He's humble yet aware of his own strengths and offers up his insight when appropriate. Jason is an issue. He goes on long monologues about how successful he is, how the problems they're discussing don't apply to him or his *aMaZinG*, crazy-margin business HexClad. He spent almost an entire episode name dropping someone he sat next to at a dinner. He has no interest in offering any true value to the listener. I reached a breaking point this past episode where he boasted about being drunk on the episode. Maybe because he's not a founder he doesn't understand the pain and blood that goes into getting a business off the ground and keeping it healthy - but it’s gotten to the point where I try to skip through anytime he begins talking because I don't ever want to approach my life or business the way he suggests.

This has become my favorite podcast. It has CEOs that bootstrapped their way to $100 million plus in revenue in DTC businesses like HexClad, Simple Modern, Ridge, etc. These aren’t some influencers that don’t know how building at scale actually works. These guys are talking real numbers with real insights. I could listen to them talk business all day.