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Open Residency

Open Residency

The show for ambitious operators scaling their businesses.

Hosted by Mark Brazil, co-founder of IKONICK, Open Residency is built around a simple idea: learn from the people who’ve already figured out what most entrepreneurs are still trying to solve—so you can become a more well-rounded operator.

Mark sits down with the operators, marketers, creators, and specialists who are world-class at their craft. These conversations go far beyond what they’ve built and why—they break down exactly how they’ve done it. The tactical insights, frameworks, and decision-making processes that help you think c

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  • 27 episodes
  • fortnightly
  • Avg 2 hr
  • English

Episodes 27

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  • S1 · E25
    March 5 · 2 hr 41 min

    Taylor Holiday - The 2026 E-Commerce Masterclass That Will Make You Question Everything

    Taylor Holiday is giving you the Four Quarter Accounting System, and it’s in the link below. It’s the financial framework his team used to forecast $3 billion within 4% of target across 1,000+ brands, built on a principle most e-commerce founders have never heard: the forecast belongs in the marketing department, not finance. Inside: the exact P&L structure that tells you which of four numbers is killing your profit and what to do about it. Download it free: https://openresidency.com/taylor-holiday-playbook?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=taylor_holiday_playbook Get in touch for LLM SEO Consulting — https://form.typeform.com/to/cwwIwyNa In this episode of Open Residency, we sit down with Taylor Holiday, CEO of Common Thread Collective, to unpack what's actually happening inside modern e-commerce. Taylor explains why most founders are misdiagnosing their growth problems, how contribution margin and cash flow matter more than top-line revenue, and why the old DTC playbook is quietly breaking. This conversation reframes paid media, creative strategy, and capital allocation through the lens of real operators. We also dive into the narratives that are misleading founders, the difference between being a marketer and being an allocator of capital, and how to build a business that can survive rising CACs and shrinking attention. Taylor doesn't offer hacks, he offers a mental model shift. If you're scaling a brand, spending on ads, or trying to build something durable in 2026, this episode will challenge how you think about growth. TIMESTAMPS: 00:00:00 Trailer 00:00:52 What Is This "Prophit" System That Allowed You To Scale Hundreds Of Millions Of Dollars Profitably? 00:10:32 What Does The Reality Look Like When You're Building Out These Forecast Models? 00:26:58 What Is The Hierarchy of Metrics? What Should People Actually Be Looking At? 00:45:16 You've Seen Thousands of Brands, What Are You Seeing Q1 2026? 00:56:43 Meta, Google, TikTok, Amazon...What Other Platforms Are Working? 01:00:58 What Is This Four Quarter Accounting Fit Planning Process? 01:12:58 How Do You Use This Four Quarter Account to Optimize? 01:28:48 The Flow Era: Why Is Constraint The Most Important Trade For Brands? 01:31:26 You Had To Fire 100 People In 2022. How Did Constraint Help? 01:33:52 What Is The Most Constraint Mistake Founders Are Making? 01:35:27 Growth Through Paid Media or Creative Iteration. What's Your Rebuttal To That? 01:41:15 What Is Your Product MVP Framework? 01:45:59 Champions, Growth Drivers, Underperformers, Hidden Gems. How Do You Look At Each? 01:53:06 Biggest Mistake Brands Make When Expanding Their Product Line? 01:57:32 The Worst Creative Strategy Idea Ever. Iteration 02:01:18 What Do You Think Is The Most Invisible Cash Flow Killer? 02:06:37 Quickstrike Questions 🎯 POWERED BY beehiiv - Use code MARK30 for 30% off Link: https://beehiiv.link/wf441g Universal Ads - Want to scale your brand with CTV ads? Claim your credit: https://form.typeform.com/to/ckvJ86zT Top ad teams use this tool to quietly spy on competitors' best ads: https://foreplay.co/?via=openresidency 📬 GET IN TOUCH WITH OPEN RESIDENCY Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/openresidency/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markbrazil/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markmastrandrea/ Website: https://openresidency.com/ Email: info@openresidency.com

  • S1 · E24
    February 24 · 1 hr 43 min

    Ross Mackay - Premium Isn’t About Price — It’s About Positioning

    Ross Mackay is giving you the $2 Luxury Blueprint, and it’s in the link below. It’s the system he used to build the only consumer good under $3 positioned as luxury, going from $0 to $10M in 600 days with $40M projected in year two. Inside: the Core-Race-Recover product architecture, the retail economics formula nobody talks about, and the exact packaging decision that tripled sell-through with the same liquid. Download it free: https://openresidency.com/ross-mackay-playbook?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=ross_mackay_playbook 📬 The playbook behind every episode, straight to your inbox: https://openresidency.com/signup ⚡️ BTS & more https://openresidency.com/ross-mackay TIMESTAMPS: 00:00:00 Trailer 00:00:51 How Do You Make a $2 Product Luxury? 00:04:01 Why Did You Rebrand 3 Times in 1 Year? 00:12:48 How Do You Actually Approach Retailers? 00:18:36 Going Into Retail 00:23:41 The Mafia That Controls Distribution 00:27:32 Biggest Learning From Scaling Retail 00:34:05 How Many SKUs Have You Launched? 00:39:54 The One Rule To Approaching Manufacturers 00:42:32 Being Sold Out For 200+ Days 00:45:30 The Biggest Mistake A Brand Can Make 00:49:38 How To Make Your Own Custom Product 00:51:31 Testing Optimal Ratios As A Runner 00:55:22 Content In Your Positioning Strategy 01:01:21 Collabs With Bandit and RAW 01:05:24 Why World Class Athletes Might Damage Your Brand 01:08:21 Ad Strategy For Cadence 01:11:18 Hiring Philosophy At Cadence 01:22:32 QuickFire Questions In this episode, we sit down with Ross Mackay, founder and CEO of Cadence — the brand redefining what "premium" means in a $200B beverage category. Ross breaks down how you turn a $2 drink into luxury through positioning, packaging, retail strategy, and relentless attention to detail. From obsessing over shelf velocity to rebranding three times in under a year, this is a masterclass in how modern CPG brands actually win. 🔗 LINKS MENTIONED Cadence (10% off with code "OR"): https://us.usecadence.com/openresidency 🎙 GUEST Ross Mackay, Founder & CEO of Cadence Website: https://us.usecadence.com 📬 GET IN TOUCH Instagram: https://instagram.com/openresidency Website: https://openresidency.com/ 🎯 Powered by beehiiv 30% off with code MARK30: https://beehiiv.link/cjp31 🎯 Powered by Universal Ads 👉 Claim your credit: https://form.typeform.com/to/ckvJ86zT

  • S1 · E23
    February 18 · 1 hr 33 min

    Jeff Byers - You’d Never Kill a $6M Product — And That’s the Problem

    📬 The playbook behind every episode, straight to your inbox: https://openresidency.com/signup ⚡️ BTS & more https://openresidency.com/jeff-byers TIMESTAMPS: 00:00:00 Trailer 00:00:49 Why Did You Kill A $6 Million Product Overnight? 00:05:07 The Biggest Lie In The Supplement Industry 00:06:36 Why Is Sourcing So Important? 00:07:51 What Do 3rd Party Certifications Actually Mean? 00:15:27 Product Development 00:20:45 Biggest Misconceptions About Creatine 00:29:15 How Did You Get Your First Partnership? 00:32:37 How Did The Partnership With Andrew Huberman Start? 00:39:16 Partnering With All 32 NFL Teams 00:40:55 Big Learnings From Your Partners 00:44:26 The Partnership With Arnold 00:51:20 Fundraising and Raising Money 01:01:46 What Did You Learn From Pete Carroll? 01:10:30 What Do You Look For In Hiring? 01:18:03 Quickstrike Questions In this episode, we sit down with Jeff Byers, CEO of Momentous, to unpack what it really means to build a high-trust brand in a low-trust industry. Jeff shares why he killed a $6M product overnight to protect the company's standards, how Momentous became trusted by all 32 NFL teams, and why most supplement companies cut corners on sourcing, certification, and dosing. Momentous - Save up to 35% on your first order with code OPENRESIDENCY: https://www.livemomentous.com 🎙 GUEST Jeff Byers, CEO of Momentous Website: https://www.livemomentous.com 📬 GET IN TOUCH Instagram: https://instagram.com/openresidency Website: https://openresidency.com/ 🎯 Powered by Universal Ads 👉 Claim your credit: https://form.typeform.com/to/ckvJ86zT

  • S1 · E22
    January 29 · 2 hr 33 min

    Kallaway - The Most Valuable 3 Hours For Any Business Owner in 2026 (Content Masterclass)

    Kane Kallaway is giving you the 7 Lego Brick Framework, and it’s in the link below. It’s the exact system he uses to reverse-engineer viral videos in any category, breaking them into 7 replicable components you can reassemble into your own winning content. The part most creators never find: which 5 bricks to copy exactly, and the only 2 you ever need to change. Download it free: https://openresidency.com/kallaway-playbook?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=kallaway_playbook ⚡️ BTS & more https://openresidency.com/kallaway TIMESTAMPS: 00:00:00 Trailer 00:01:08 Biggest Lessons As A Full-Time Creator 00:03:19 What Goes Into A Great Hook? 00:13:46 The Most Important Framework For Content 00:15:39 The Hidden Cheat Code For Instagram Thumbnails 00:19:46 The Five Content Games Framework 00:33:34 The Seven Lego Bricks For Short Form 00:50:48 Most Common Editing Mistakes For Short Form 00:53:42 What Metrics Actually Matter For Shorts? 01:01:33 Kallaway's Insane Team Structure 01:10:57 Why Are You So Bullish On YouTube? 01:19:21 Is YouTube More A Packaging Game? 01:22:12 Title/Thumbnail Mistakes 01:28:08 Key Metrics To Evaluate With YouTube 01:34:28 What People Misunderstand About YouTube 01:38:22 The Biggest Myth About Virality 01:48:51 Content Mix Perspective 01:55:14 Building A Community From Your Audience 02:02:13 The Biggest Growth Hack for 2026 02:07:04 AI Tools 02:16:51 Stories That Convert 02:20:46 Quickfire Questions In this episode, we sit down with Kallaway, the operator quietly building some of the most efficient content machines on the internet. Kallaway breaks down how modern businesses should think about content as infrastructure, not art. We go deep on the content mechanics most never see, how to engineer "desire loops" that earn clicks, and why YouTube should be treated like a professional sport. 🔗 KALLAWAY RESOURCES YouTube Academy: https://kallaway.co/youtubeacademy/r/openresidency Sandcastles: https://sandcastles.ai/?ref=openresidency 🎙 GUEST Kallaway Website: https://kallaway.co 📬 GET IN TOUCH Instagram: https://instagram.com/openresidency Website: https://openresidency.com/ 🎯 Powered by Universal Ads 👉 Claim your credit: https://form.typeform.com/to/ckvJ86zT

  • S1 · E21
    January 19 · 2 hr 37 min

    Samir Chaudry - How To Actually Dominate YouTube in 2026

    👉 Join our private community for operators, marketers, and creators (waitlist) - https://www.newsletter-signup.com/or/ ⚡️ BTS & more https://openresidency.com/samir-chaudry TIMESTAMPS: 00:00:00 Trailer 00:01:16 The 3 Rules of YouTube 00:12:27 How to Properly Think About Your Audience 00:24:14 How To Get Good At Title and Thumbnail 00:37:00 How To Research A Vertical 00:42:57 How To Avoid Burnout 00:47:11 The Hidden Problems With Podcasts Today 00:55:21 Respecting the Viewer's Time 01:01:04 How Do You Look at Retention? 01:05:11 Most Important Metrics for YouTube 01:16:16 The Business of Colin and Samir 01:18:20 Working With Sponsors and Big Brands 01:34:28 Small Deals vs. Big Deals 01:37:36 The Education Business 01:45:20 Learnings From Press Publish NYC 01:50:09 What Are You Excited About? 01:54:49 The Palisades Fire 02:13:42 The Future of the Media Landscape 02:28:15 Working With Colin For Over 10 Years 02:29:42 Quickstrike Questions In this episode, we sit down with Samir Chaudry, co-host of Colin and Samir, for a deep conversation about relevance, creative longevity, and what it actually takes to build a career in the modern media landscape. Samir breaks down how creators stay relevant as platforms, formats, and audience expectations constantly shift — and what metrics actually matter in building a lasting media business. 🎙 GUEST Samir Chaudry Website: https://colinandsamir.com 📬 GET IN TOUCH Instagram: https://instagram.com/openresidency Website: https://openresidency.com/ 🎯 Powered by Manychat 🔗 Learn more: https://manychat.com/ 🎯 Powered by Poppy Get $25 off: https://getpoppy.ai/OpenResidency (use code "OR")

  • S1 · E20
    Dec 30, 2025 · 1 hr 35 min

    Dan Koe - How To Get Ahead Of 99% Of People in 2026

    In this episode, we sit down with Dan Koe for a deep conversation about building a Future Proof Skill Stack, navigating AI, and designing a life that isn't dictated by someone else's goals. Dan breaks down why the most important skills today aren't technical, but meta — learning how to learn, how to think, and how to earn. We explore how AI is accelerating the need for adaptability, why taste, narrative, and trust are becoming the real moats, and how creators can stop chasing niches and instead become the niche.

  • S1 · E19
    Dec 17, 2025 · 2 hr 19 min

    Mark Manson - When Quitting Is the Smartest Business Move

    In this episode, we sit down with Mark Manson, bestselling author of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, for a wide-ranging conversation about pain, purpose, momentum, and what it actually takes to build a meaningful life. Mark explains why you can’t want the reward without wanting the cost, how suffering is often self-created through the stories we tell ourselves, and why momentum—not motivation—is the real driver of progress. We go deep on relationships and dating — romance vs compatibility, conditional love, commitment, self-sabotage, and how to know if you’re actually ready for a serious partnership. Mark shares the biggest dating mistakes people make today, and how alignment beats excitement. We also explore creativity, writing, money, building and scaling a new AI company, and why Mark believes AI will fundamentally reshape personal growth, therapy, and the future of self-help.

Showing 21–27 of 27 episodes