Predicting The Turn W/ Dave Knox

Every month, Enthusiast Gaming reaches over 300 million gamers. They are capitalizing on the changing demographic trends where more people today are watching eSports than the NBA or MLB. I sat down with Thamba Tharmalingam, Chief Operating Officer of Enthusiast Gaming to learn more about how marketers can embrace this massive shift in entertainment.

As President of Beyond Beer at Anheuser-Busch, Fabricio Zonzini oversees a portfolio of new and groundbreaking products that allows A-B to predict consumer trends before they start. With products ranging from “water to whiskey”, Beyond Beer offers consumers exactly what they’re looking for across a range of occasions and trends. I sat down with Zonzini to learn more about how Beyond Beer stays on top of consumer trends and and how the business unit is driving growth for Anheuser-Busch.

Over two decades ago, Joel Clark and his brother John took their mom’s wholewheat pancake recipe and turned it into a business. Today, the business has grown from those humble roots across center store categories ranging from pancakes to oatmeal to frozen waffles. I sat down with John to learn about how they have expanded the brand and why one of their best decisions was actually not launching a product in their early days.

When he retired from the NFL, Tiki Barber realized there was a business opportunity around business entertainment done differently. Seven years later, Thuzio, the company he co-founded, has created a new format for business entertainment. I sat down with Tiki and his Thuzio co-founder Jared Augustine to talk about the inspiration behind the business and why they believe the virtual event platform is here to stay for business entertainment.

Annie Duke retired from professional poker in 2012 as one of the most successful players of all time. Today, she is taking what she learned at the poker table about decision making and sharing it with the world as an author and public speaker. We sat down to talk about her new book How to Decide: Simple Tools for Making Better Choicesand why business is dealing with poker like environments and all the uncertainty that comes with it.

Over his career, Paul Chibe has led marketing for some of the largest brands in the world ranging from Quaker Oats and Wrigley to Anheuser-Busch where he served as Chief Marketing Officer in the United States. Today, he serves as the CEO of Ferrero North America, maker of iconic brands such as Nutella, Tic Tac, Kinder, and Butterfinger. We sat down to talk about his move from CMO to CEO, and what marketers should focus on during their career.

The founders of Innovation Department believe that in the search for the next billion-dollar exit, there are pockets of opportunities being overlooked in consumer brands. Through a unique application of linear commerce, they have built brands like Wellpath by following a different approach to brand building. I sat down with Colin Darretta, the co-founder of the Innovation Department, and James Shalhoub, the CEO and founder of their newest brand Finn, to learn about this approach and how they are applying it with their newest launch.

Davis Siksnans is a believer that most good business ideas come out of solving your own need. His first company Startup Vitamins was exactly that. And a need in that business directly led to Printful, which is now one of the largest print on demand drop ship companies in the world. I sat down to talk with Davis about the journey of stating Printful, why print on demand is empowering a wide range of entrepreneurs, and how COVID has impacted the business.

In the world of Consumer Packaged Goods, businesses are generally defined by their categories and where they appear on shelf at retail. To fuel growth, Kraft Heinz is taking a different approach, looking at their businesses by consumer platforms instead of category definitions. I sat down with Nina Barton, Chief Growth Officer at Kraft Heinz, to learn more about why this is such a meaningful change and to discuss the new operating model behind this move.

In 2004, Nader Masadeh decided to take the entrepreneurial leap, leaving the corporate world for something new. The path Masadeh took was to buy a small 4 store restaurant chain called Buffalo Wings & Rings. Fifteen years later, Masadeh has transformed the business and brand, growing it to over 80 locations. We sat down to talk about his journey, how restaurants continue to evolve, and why he decided to take the path of entrepreneurship through acquisition.

After 30 years in franchising, Todd Leff has seen the ups and downs of the economy. As CEO of Hand and Stone Massage and Facial Spa, Todd believes that staying true to their brand is the key to their growth over the last decade. We sat down to discuss their journey, the impact of COVID on their franchisees, and why Todd thinks the brand will come out even stronger from the last few months.

With a strong background in digital marketing. Amanda Tress recognized an opportunity in the fitness marketplace to do things differently. The result is FASTer Way To Fat Loss, a business Tress started in 2016 and has grown from $1 million in revenue to $65 million in just two years. I saw down with Amanda to talk about her journey building FASTer Way, what is next for the business, and why micro influencers are the most important strategy for marketers today.

The story of Blake Mycoskie starting TOMS Shoes is well known in entrepreneurial circles. While many would be content after building a half billion-dollar business, Blake is not one of them. After experiencing his own burnout after TOMS, Blake was inspired to start Madefor, a 10-month program where people learn a new habit or practice each month. We sat down to talk about the inspiration for Madefor and why this focus on well-being is more important than ever.

In April, Chipotle announced their 4Heroes buy one, give one program to support healthcare heroes across the U.S.  But did you ever wonder how Chipotle and other companies are able to verify if the person on the receiving end is actually a healthcare professional?  Thanks to Jake Weatherly and the team at SheerID, you do not have to worry.  SheerID is the leader in identity marketing, allowing companies to instantly verify eligibility for consumer tribes like nurses, teachers, and college students.  I sat down with Jake to learn more about the inspiration for starting the company and why they believe consent-based marketing will be the future of engaging with consumers.

In his 15 years at Target, John Peine met with hundreds of brands looking to get on their retail shelves. And while marketing and package design could help you stand out momentarily, the brands that sold the best, were the ones where the product just plain worked. This lesson is at the heart of FRISKA, the new supplement company John recently started aimed at achieving better overall health through improved gut health. We sat down to talk about his journey starting the brand and why he thinks digestive enzymes and gut health are the next major trend in wellness.

The P&G Alumni Network is a nonprofit founded by former P&G employees to connect the talent, ideas and resources of P&G Alumni. With 45,000+ registered members in 40+ chapters worldwide, the P&G Alumni Network connects via global conferences, local and industry events, and online content such as their Learnings from Leaders podcast. I sat down with P&G Alumni Network Board Member Raman Sehgal to learn more about the Alumni Network and why they made the move into podcasting recently.

Grove Collaborative believes that consumer products can be a positive force for human and environmental health. They do not mean just less bad, but actually more good. I sat down with Stu Landesberg, the co-founder and CEO of Grove Collaborative, to learn about how they doing this through a concept called regenerative concept and how data has allowed them to launch their own brands.

Offering a diversified portfolio of specialized fitness concepts in eight unique verticals, Xponential Fitness is the largest curator of boutique fitness brands in the world. As an industry disruptor, the company was ranked in Fast Company's annual list of the World's Most Innovative Companies. I sat down with Anthony Geisler, CEO and founder of Xponential Fitness, to learn more about their unique approach to the fitness world.

With over 30 years in the industry, Peter Holt knows just about every angle of the methodology of running a franchise system. But when he joined The Joint as CEO four years ago, he had to learn the concept of chiropractic care. We sat down to talk about this unique challenge of a concept and methodology, as well as why franchising presents such a great opportunity for fragmented industries.

Many companies want to believe that innovation is a process that you can map out in a nice clean path. But Katlin Smith, Founder and CEO of Simple Mills, knows that more often, innovation comes about by mistake. I sat down with Katlin to talk about her journey building Simple Mills, how the company is leading the clean food movement, and why some of their best innovations have come by hiring people who share a passion for changing the food that we eat.