Foundr Magazine Podcast | Learn From Successful Founders & Proven Entrepreneurs, The Ultimate Startup Podcast For Business

Joey Shamah built e.l.f. Cosmetics into a billion-dollar beauty brand by doing the exact opposite of every competitor in the industry. In this interview, the e.l.f. co-founder breaks down how he turned a radical $1 makeup idea—laughed at by investors and retailers—into a global powerhouse that went public on the New York Stock Exchange. From bootstrapping his business out of his father’s warehouse to selling 192,000 orders overnight after a viral Bloomingdale’s rumor, Joey shares the full story behind disrupting an entire industry, mastering retail relationships, and scaling a household name without big marketing budgets or celebrity backing. What you’ll learn from this interview: • How Joey built e.l.f. Cosmetics into a billion-dollar brand from scratch • The marketing strategy that turned rejection into virality • How a fake rumor led to 192,000 orders and changed everything • Lessons from raising margins, expanding retail, and going public • Why the $1 price point was his biggest advantage • How to ide

Everyone saw the headlines—but the real lessons from Alex Hormozi’s $100M book launch are in the planning, positioning, and pre-launch. In this episode, I break down the fundamentals you can lift straight into your next product launch or Black Friday promo: how to think like a founder (not an influencer), engineer your unit economics, and turn months of value-led content into a movement people want to be part of—before you ever make the ask. Here’s what you’ll take away: • Launch like a founder: plan, test, and engineer every touchpoint (not just “post & hope”) • Positioning > polishing: sell the category and the community, not just the product • Pre-launch depth: stack 3–6 months of value to build goodwill, trust, and demand • Make the math work: VIPs, bulk buys, and upsells that liquidate ad spend • Content as R&D: use social to test hooks, angles, & offers long before launch day • Audience size isn’t everything: relationships and belief beat raw follower count If you apply even one of these to your

Natalie Holloway turned a $5,000 side hustle into Bala — a globally recognized fitness brand worn by millions and backed by Mark Cuban and Maria Sharapova. In this interview, the Bala co-founder breaks down how she and her husband Max bootstrapped the brand from their garage to $20M+ in sales, weathered near-bankruptcy after the post-COVID crash, and rebuilt into a nine-figure company with 20+ products and collaborations with brands like Spanx and Pucci. From surviving massive layoffs to mastering profitability and rebuilding from the ground up, this is a raw, unfiltered look at what it takes to build, lose, and rebuild a modern fitness empire. What you’ll learn from this interview: • How Bala grew from a $5K side hustle to a nine-figure global brand • The story behind their $900K Shark Tank deal with Mark Cuban & Maria Sharapova • What really happened after the COVID fitness boom — and how they recovered • The leadership lessons from scaling a 30-person team down to 3 and back again • How to manage co-f

AI is the biggest shift since the internet—and if you’re not using it daily as a founder, you’re falling behind. In this episode, I break down exactly how I use AI to think clearer, execute faster, and lead better—without being technical. From treating AI as a true thinking partner to training it like a team member, I’ll show you the practical workflows, tools, and prompts that have meaningfully increased my output and product velocity. Here’s what you’ll take away: • How to use AI as a thinking partner for email drafts, decks, research, & data synthesis • The prompt method: ask AI to write the prompt for the outcome you want (then refine) • Why Claude/ChatGPT for writing, Gamma for decks, NotebookLM for knowledge mining • How to train AI like a team member (voice rules, stories, frameworks, formats) • Speed > everything: real example of mapping and shipping a new product faster with AI • Guardrails: keep strategy owned by you, verify facts, and avoid over-automation traps If you put even one of

Suneera Madhani built Stax from an idea her employer rejected into a $1B fintech unicorn processing over $25B in payments. In this interview, the Stax co-founder shares how she went from selling credit card terminals out of her car to pioneering the first subscription-based payment processor, raising over $500M in capital, and scaling a company now generating $120M+ in revenue. From turning down a $17.5M acquisition offer to building an omnichannel platform before “fintech” was even a word, Suneera breaks down the strategies, resilience, and leadership lessons that took her from a scrappy founder to one of the most successful female entrepreneurs in tech. What you’ll learn from this interview: • How Suneera turned a rejected idea into a billion-dollar company • The scrappy marketing tactics that got her first 250 customers • Why she turned down a $17.5M acquisition offer early on • The lessons from raising over $500M in funding and navigating investors • How to build an MVP using white-label sol

Think your “brand” is a logo, font, and color palette? That’s polish—not branding. Real ecommerce branding makes customers feel understood, builds instant trust, and increases conversions across your product pages, emails, and social. In this episode, I break down what I’ve learned working with branding expert Camille Moore on our new Ecommerce Branding Blueprint inside Foundr+. You’ll get the principles and system I wish every founder used before launching—so your store stops feeling “nice” and starts feeling necessary. Here’s what you’ll take away: • Why logo ≠ brand: your brand is the feeling a customer has the first time they see you • The trust shortcut: people don’t buy when they understand you—they buy when they feel understood • The 4 brand pillars that drive sales: product, story, experience/consistency, visual identity • Signals that cost $0 but increase conversions: clear messaging, cohesive copy, on-brand emails, credible packaging/photos • Social proof that compounds: why ambassadors (from micr

Tezza Barton bootstrapped the Tezza app from a two-person passion project into a 25M+ download, $33M/year creative-tech brand—with just 15 employees and zero paid ads for the first four years. In this interview, Tezza breaks down the scrappy path from negative bank balances and collage kits in a 250-sq-ft apartment to building a category-defining editing app and community that creatives actually love. From community-led growth and brand-first product design to pricing pivots, lean teams, and culture-shifting collabs, you’ll learn exactly how she scaled profitably while staying fan-obsessed and creatively uncompromising. What you’ll learn from this interview: • How Tezza grew a bootstrapped, creator-led app to 25M+ downloads and $33M revenue • The community-first playbook: DMs, feedback loops, and building demand before launch • Product-led marketing: naming filters (e.g., “Wildflower”), seasonal drops, and experiential launches • Pricing and retention: recovering from a bumpy subscription rollout

You might expect my favorite interviews to be with Richard Branson, Tony Robbins, or Barbara Corcoran. But one that surprised me — and stuck with me more than most — was with Scooter Braun. In this episode, I share the lessons Scooter taught me about resilience, humility, and the real human side of entrepreneurship. From his honesty about burnout and blind spots, to Jeff Bezos’ reminder that true success is simply about evolving, this conversation hit me harder than most. Here’s what you’ll take away:• Why resilience and self-reflection matter more than achievements• The trap of chasing milestones instead of being present• Why building a family and community beats building an empire If you’ve ever felt the pressure to keep proving yourself, this episode will remind you that success isn’t just about what you build — it’s about who you become along the way. This is a brand new solo series I’m testing, and I’d love your feedback. Email me directly at nathan@foundr.com — I read every reply. Hope you

The Foundr Podcast with Nathan Chan is where ambitious founders get real playbooks, not theory. Every week, Nathan sits down with the world’s top entrepreneurs and operators to unpack how they built, scaled, and led category-defining companies. You’ll hear candid stories, hard numbers, and step-by-step tactics you can use right away across product, marketing, hiring, funding, and leadership. Past guests include Mark Cuban, Seth Godin, Tim Ferriss, Barbara Corcoran, Daymond John, and more. If you want to find your product, launch faster, grow revenue, and lead with clarity, this show is for you. Follow now and start building with proven frameworks from the best in the game.

Pia Mance started Heaven Mayhem in 2022 with just $900 and scaled it into a $10M accessories brand in under three years. In this interview, Pia breaks down the scrappy steps she took to launch her first collection, the grassroots marketing hacks that made her products go viral, and how celebrity moments like Hailey Bieber wearing her designs gave the brand instant credibility. From handmaking necklaces in her living room to building an accessories empire stocked in global retailers like Selfridges, Pia shares exactly how she grew fast without outside investment—and the mindset shifts that kept her moving forward. What you’ll learn from this interview: • How Pia launched Heaven Mayhem with just $900 • The scrappy tactics she used to get her first sales • Why “done is better than perfect” became her growth mantra • How grassroots marketing can look like a $50K campaign (on a $300 budget) • What happened when Hailey Bieber wore Heaven Mayhem • How to scale products from handmade to factory productio

Most founders obsess over tactics, hacks, and strategies. But the truth? None of it matters if you don’t have the right mindset. In this episode, I share the mental frameworks I’ve learned after a decade of building Foundr and interviewing 100+ of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs. From why 50% of success comes down to belief, to how to reframe failure as data, these are the mindset shifts that will keep you in the game long enough to win. Here’s what you’ll take away: • Why every founder needs to think in decades but act in days• How to stop comparing your chapter 1 to someone else’s chapter 20• The simple shifts that turn fear and failure into growth If you’re feeling impatient, doubting yourself, or wondering why success is taking so long, this episode will give you the perspective and tools to reset, refocus, and keep building. This is a brand new solo series I’m testing, and I’d love your feedback. Email me directly at nathan@foundr.com — I read every reply. Hope you enjoy it. SAVE 50% O

Phoebe Gates went from failed prototypes in her Stanford dorm room to building one of the fastest growing fashion-tech startups in the world. In this interview, the co-founder of AI shopping app Phia shares how she and her co-founder Sophia Kianni scaled from 200 early users to half a million downloads, raised $9M from investors like Kleiner Perkins, Kris Jenner, and Sara Blakely, and turned their vision into a personal AI shopping assistant trusted by a new generation of consumers. From building in public and hacking growth with feedback loops to pitching high-profile investors and navigating privilege, Phoebe breaks down the exact strategies that fueled her rapid rise as a young founder. What you’ll learn from this interview: • How Phoebe went from 50+ failed ideas to finding product-market fit in fashion-tech • The grassroots tactics she used to get her first 200 users • Why feedback loops and “pizza nights” became their biggest growth hack • How she pitched and secured investors like Kleiner

Most founders think they need a completely original idea to succeed. The truth? Great businesses are often built by borrowing brilliance — and putting your own spin on what already works. In this episode, I break down the concept of “good artists copy, great artists steal,” and show you how to apply it in your business. From how I grew Foundr’s Instagram to how I built and exited my ecommerce brand, Healthie, this approach has helped me create traction faster without reinventing the wheel. Here’s what you’ll take away: • Why borrowing proven strategies beats starting from scratch • Real examples of how top brands like Canva, Airbnb, and Dollar Shave Club modeled what worked • How to ethically “steal” ideas, put your own twist on them, and win in your market If you’re stuck thinking you need the next revolutionary idea, this episode will free you to focus on what matters most: finding what already works, making it better, and making it your own. This is a brand new solo series I’m testing, and I’d

David Heath and Randy Goldberg turned Bombas from a scrappy Indiegogo campaign into the most successful Shark Tank investment of all time—now valued at $3.4 billion. In this interview, the Bombas co-founders share how a simple insight about homelessness sparked a mission-driven sock company, how they bootstrapped their way to product-market fit, and the strategies that allowed them to scale profitably in one of the most competitive eras of eCommerce. From bootstrapping and fundraising to Shark Tank, celebrity endorsements, and building a brand people love, this episode is a masterclass in combining profit with purpose. What you’ll learn from this interview: • How Bombas grew from a $140K Indiegogo campaign to a $3.4B business • The one-for-one donation model and why it worked when others doubted it • Bootstrapping tactics that fueled growth before raising outside capital • The Shark Tank experience and why it was a turning point for the brand • How Bombas navigated rising customer acquisition cos

When you’re just starting out, the fastest way to grow isn’t automation, ads, or scaling systems — it’s doing things that don’t scale. In this episode, I share why the most successful founders — from billion-dollar startups to small ecommerce brands — all begin by leaning into the unscalable. From replying personally to every email, to sending hundreds of Instagram DMs, to handwriting thank-you cards for early customers, these strategies create the kind of emotional connection that big brands can’t compete with. Here’s what you’ll take away: • Why doing things that don’t scale is your biggest advantage as a small brand • Real examples of how I and other founders used this to grow early traction • Specific tactics you can start today to build stronger customer relationships If you’re an early-stage founder, this episode will show you exactly how to build momentum, create raving fans, and uncover what truly works — long before you scale. This is a brand new solo series I’m testing, and I’d love your f

Brian Littlefield is the co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Jocko Fuel—one of the fastest-growing supplement brands in America. But his story didn’t start in a boardroom. It started with a life-changing health wake-up call. In this episode, Brian shares how he went from overweight and directionless to building a trusted supplement empire backed by Navy SEAL legend Jocko Willink. You'll hear how they launched Jocko Fuel with a single product, the risky decision to tie the brand to Jocko’s name, and the surprising reason their customer base is so fanatically loyal. What you’ll learn: • Why they anchored the brand to Jocko’s reputation • How Brian built products customers actually stick with • Why quality and transparency are their greatest weapons • The scrappy early days of launching without big resources • Lessons from martial arts that shaped his leadership style • The real reason Jocko Fuel stands out in a saturated space If you want a blueprint for building a brand based on trust, commu

Most ecommerce founders think the only way to grow is to get more traffic — but often, the fastest way to increase sales is by making more from the traffic you already have. In this episode, I share a proven “second sale” strategy you can use to increase your conversion rate, average order value (AOV), and customer lifetime value (CLV) without spending a single extra dollar on ads. This is the exact approach Amazon uses to generate billions in extra revenue — and it works just as well for smaller brands. Here’s what you’ll take away: • How to identify if you have a conversion problem vs. a traffic problem • The post-purchase upsell strategy that can boost your revenue by 10–50% • Tools and tactics to increase AOV and CLV with zero additional ad spend If you’re looking to grow your store without increasing your traffic budget, this episode will give you a simple, repeatable strategy to unlock more revenue from the customers you already have. This is a brand new solo series I’m testing, and I’d l

Julie Wainwright, founder of The RealReal, reveals how she built a billion-dollar resale marketplace that transformed luxury fashion. In this exclusive Foundr Podcast interview, Julie shares how she scaled The RealReal to over $1B in revenue, reached 38 million members, and took the company public on the Nasdaq. From her early lessons at Pets.com to reinventing resale as “cool” and breaking into the luxury market, Julie unpacks the strategies, risks, and mindset shifts that fuelled her success. Whether you’re building an eCommerce brand, launching a marketplace, or navigating setbacks as a founder, this interview delivers invaluable lessons on execution, resilience, and scaling big ideas. What you’ll learn from this interview: • How Julie identified an opportunity Amazon couldn’t replicate and turned it into The RealReal • The strategies she used to seed supply and build a two-sided marketplace • Why values-driven hiring and culture were critical to scaling past $1B in revenue • Lessons from shutting dow

Every business has one major constraint holding it back from the next stage of growth — and solving it is the fastest way to scale. In this episode, I share the exact formula I use to identify the biggest problem in my business, find the right person who’s already solved it, and get the solution faster than years of trial and error. This is the same approach I’ve seen countless successful founders use to break through roadblocks and grow with speed. Here’s what you’ll take away: • How to identify the single biggest constraint holding your business back • The fastest way to find and learn from people who have already solved your problem • Why paying for expertise can save you months — or even years — of wasted time If you’re stuck or plateauing, this episode will give you a clear, actionable way to diagnose the issue and solve it faster than you thought possible — so you can get back to growing your business. This is a brand new solo series I’m testing, and I’d love your feedback. Email me direc

Kian Golzari is one of the world’s leading experts in sourcing and product manufacturing—developing over 2,500 products and visiting 500+ factories. In this episode, he shares how to go from idea to product without getting burned by bad suppliers or poor-quality manufacturing. Whether you're working with Alibaba or building a custom product from scratch—this is your playbook. What you’ll learn: • How to vet suppliers and avoid common sourcing mistakes • His exact 3-step product development system • How to approach factories like a pro (even if it’s your first product) • Why negotiation is more about positioning than price • What he’s learned from working with the NBA, UN & billion-dollar brands • His best tips for working with Chinese manufacturers in 2025 and beyond If you’re creating a physical product or want to improve your margins—this episode will save you time, money, and a ton of headaches. Foundr Community Offers Want 1-on-1 mentorship to launch or scale your brand faster? Apply f