BusinessEntrepreneurship

The Advantage with Mike Wystrach

WiseTrack Co.

The Advantage is a weekly show for founders and operators. The people building DTC, CPG, and e-commerce companies. Hosted by Mike Wystrach, who built Freshly to $550M+ in revenue and its 2020 sale to Nestlé in a deal valued at up to $1.5 billion, and now invests in and builds consumer businesses.

Every episode is a candid, tactical conversation with a founder or operator about how they actually did it: the fundraises that nearly died, the pivots that worked and the ones that didn't, the channels that scaled, the hires that mattered, and the numbers behind them.

New episodes every week. Follow the show so you never miss one.

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S1 · E14
Wednesday · 53 min
Nobody Wanted to Invest in Coterie. It Returned Our Fund. | Deborah Benton, Willow Growth Partners
Nobody wanted to invest in Coterie. It was a diaper, a paper product, in a category owned by Huggies and Pampers. Deborah Benton backed it anyway, and in 2025 Mammoth Brands, the company behind Harry's, agreed to buy it. By her account, Coterie and Goodles, which Barilla agreed to buy this year, each returned Willow Growth Partners' fund. She learned what not to do first: she helped take eToys public before the 2000 crash, was COO of ShoeDazzle alongside Kim Kardashian, and was president of Nasty Gal when it raised from Index at what she calls a ridiculous multiple of revenue. This episode is presented by Proppel. Hire A-player marketing and ops talent from the US and LATAM, and get 10% off your first hire: https://www.weareproppel.com/theadvantage Follow Mike on Instagram: @mikewystrach — https://instagram.com/mikewystrach In this episode: ◼ Why a fundraise feels like success but works like a loan ◼ Why a $300 million acquisition can be a great outcome if the company was capitalized correctly ◼ Why angel investing is Vegas money: no information rights, and only the wins get told ◼ Why she watches contribution margin before EBITDA ◼ Why a cold email to a junior associate beats one to a partner ⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Two Exits Returned Her Fund 1:44 The Mistakes of DTC 1.0 2:39 Every eToys Order Lost Money 4:48 ShoeDazzle With Kim Kardashian 5:51 Nasty Gal's Ridiculous Multiple 6:50 A Raise Is an Obligation 10:42 Consumer Is Not Tech 11:05 A $300M Exit Is Beautiful 14:06 Flat to the Last Round 16:08 One More Round, Then Stop 18:40 No Win Without the Founder 19:05 Angel Investing Is Vegas Money 25:27 Carve Out Room for Angels 26:46 Why Not Call It VC 30:19 $3M to $5M First Checks 33:02 Don't Pitch a Fake Vision 35:39 AI Cuts Costs, Raises Competition 38:41 The Gold Standard Metric 39:44 Contribution Margin Before EBITDA 40:30 How to Get a Reply 43:39 Cold Email the Junior Partner 45:12 Why Investors Go Quiet 47:41 Nobody Wanted Coterie 49:58 A Tool for Warm Intros 51:59 Final Thoughts and Wrap Up 🔗 DEBORAH BENTON Willow Growth Partners → https://willowgrowth.com Metal (the warm-intro tool Mike recommends) → https://www.metal.so 🎙️ THE ADVANTAGE All episodes → https://mikewystrach.com/podcast ⚡ PRESENTED BY PROPPEL Proppel places marketing and operations talent from the US, LATAM and beyond, from video editors, designers and media buyers to managers, directors and VPs. It's performance-based: a one-off fee only when you hire, no retainers, and a three-month guarantee on every hire. Get 10% off your first hire → https://www.weareproppel.com/theadvantage
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October 28 · 1 hr 8 min
Everyone Calls It an Overnight Success. It Took 16 Years. | Midland
Midland's first album went to No. 1 on the country albums chart, and "Drinkin' Problem" earned two Grammy nominations. Before any of that, the band spent close to two years in Texas with no record deal, playing for beer money, and played a New York label showcase to 15 people. Mark Wystrach, the band's lead singer and Mike's twin brother, says the overnight success took 16 years. Recorded backstage at TD Garden in Boston, hours before the show. This episode is presented by Proppel. Hire A-player marketing and ops talent from the US and LATAM, and get 10% off your first hire: https://www.weareproppel.com/theadvantage Follow Mike on Instagram: @mikewystrach — https://instagram.com/mikewystrach In this episode: ◼ How one music video got a band nobody knew into Nashville ◼ Why Cameron Duddy came to the first sessions to film them and left as the bass player ◼ Why a No. 1 album does not mean anyone has been paid ◼ Bruno Mars's offer to sign them, and working every room at the Grammys ◼ Why they spent three and a half years on Insólito tequila before selling a bottle ⏱️ CHAPTERS 00:00 The 16-Year Overnight Success 02:11 Pants Down at the Piano 10:55 Hired to Film, Joined the Band 15:26 One Video Sold Nashville 16:59 Called a Manufactured Boy Band 20:50 Two Years, No Record Deal 24:43 15 People at Mercury Lounge 30:27 Nashville Was the Master's Degree 33:43 A No. 1 Doesn't Pay You 37:28 Working the Room at the Grammys 40:07 Bruno Mars Offered a Deal 41:16 Shower Rehearsal With Tim McGraw 46:10 The Opry Was the Scariest 52:31 10,000 Hours Nobody Sees 54:01 Why a Band Built Tequila 1:02:25 The Truck in Marlboro Man 1:06:55 Final Thoughts and Wrap Up 🔗 MIDLAND Midland → https://www.midlandofficial.com Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/midland/ Insólito Tequila → https://www.insolitotequila.com 🎙️ THE ADVANTAGE Apple Podcasts → https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-advantage-with-mike-wystrach/id6783458081 Spotify → https://open.spotify.com/show/033DuFkyBRu3qvgp8ozPz1 All episodes → https://mikewystrach.com/podcast ⚡ PRESENTED BY PROPPEL Proppel places marketing and operations talent from the US, LATAM and beyond, from video editors, designers and media buyers to managers, directors and VPs. It's performance-based: a one-off fee only when you hire, no retainers, and a three-month guarantee on every hire. Get 10% off your first hire → https://www.weareproppel.com/theadvantage #Midland #TheAdvantage #MikeWystrach Thumbnail photo of Bruno Mars adapted from "Bruno Mars - 24K Magic Tour" by slgckgc, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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S1 · E12
October 21 · 54 min
Our CEO quit with a month of cash left. I took the job | Jordan DeCicco, Super Coffee
Jordan DeCicco started Super Coffee in a college dorm room with a blender from Rite Aid. All five Sharks passed on it. By 2021 the company had raised $106 million at a valuation above $500 million, with Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez on the cap table. Three years later it had about a month of cash left, and the outside CEO quit on a Sunday call. Jordan took the job himself. This is the first time he has told that part. This episode is presented by Proppel. Hire A-player marketing and ops talent from the US and LATAM, and get 10% off your first hire: https://www.weareproppel.com/theadvantage Follow Mike on Instagram: @mikewystrach — https://instagram.com/mikewystrach In this episode: ◼ Why he gave up a basketball scholarship after three Whole Foods stores ◼ How Shark Tank became leverage with Wegmans and Wawa without a deal ◼ What the board's push to profitability did to revenue ◼ Why he says take 10% of your shares off the table every real round ◼ How a 25-person team got back to $1M of EBITDA ⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 $500M to a Month of Cash 5:28 A Blender From Rite Aid 12:45 One Whole Foods at a Time 17:16 Paid $100K to Drop Out 18:29 All Five Sharks Passed 20:57 $5M to $60M in Two Years 23:56 The $500M Round 26:05 The Outside CEO 28:01 Lost $9M, Then Made $1M 30:09 Know Your Contribution Margin 33:29 The Sunday the CEO Quit 35:32 Then Jimmy Left, Then the CFO 38:42 150 People to 25 45:05 Take 10% Every Round 51:24 Self Pity Does Nothing 53:38 Final Thoughts and Wrap Up 🔗 JORDAN DECICCO Super Coffee → https://drinksupercoffee.com Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/jordan_decicco/ LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-decicco-620637a5/ 🎙️ THE ADVANTAGE YouTube → https://youtu.be/K9HAVrj_SqI All episodes → https://mikewystrach.com/podcast ⚡ PRESENTED BY PROPPEL Proppel places marketing and operations talent from the US, LATAM and beyond, from video editors, designers and media buyers to managers, directors and VPs. It's performance-based: a one-off fee only when you hire, no retainers, and a three-month guarantee on every hire. Get 10% off your first hire → https://www.weareproppel.com/theadvantage
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S1 · E11
October 14 · 46 min
I built a drink company with Vanessa Hudgens | Oliver Trevena, Caliwater
Oliver Trevena says he was beaten nearly to death at 21, then used the compensation to move from England to Los Angeles. He became an actor and TV host, and when he started taking business meetings between shoots, his reps dropped him for it. Now he co-founds Caliwater with Vanessa Hudgens, backed by Gerard Butler, Glen Powell and Demi Lovato, and it has launched in Walmart nationwide. This episode is presented by Proppel. Hire A-player marketing and ops talent from the US and LATAM, and get 10% off your first hire: https://www.weareproppel.com/theadvantage Follow Mike on Instagram: @mikewystrach — https://instagram.com/mikewystrach In this episode: ◼ Why a Plan B makes your Plan A better ◼ Why no beverage giant ever creates a new category ◼ Why it takes 20 to 30 touches, not six, before a customer notices you ◼ How Erewhon started stocking Caliwater before his team knew CHAPTERS 0:00 Hollywood to Walmart 1:11 Beaten Nearly to Death at 21 4:44 13,000 Pounds to LA 11:21 "Have You Done It Before?" 17:44 Stick Your Nose In 19:10 Why You Need a Plan B 20:53 My Agents Dropped Me 29:51 Everyone Said Don't Do Beverage 33:12 No Giant Creates a Category 35:19 30 Touches, Not 6 36:16 Erewhon Stocked Us First 43:28 You Have to Sacrifice Something 45:50 Final Thoughts and Wrap Up Caliwater: https://www.drinkcaliwater.com Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/yEIJgS4Rt34 All episodes: https://mikewystrach.com/podcast
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S1 · E10
October 7 · 52 min
The LinkedIn Posting Formula That Took Him From 1,000 to 400K | Tobi Oluwole
Tobi Oluwole applied to Shopify seven times before they hired him. At Shopify, he wrote one LinkedIn post using a storytelling framework from his onboarding and woke up to 200,000 impressions on 1,000 followers. He has posted every weekday since May 2020, now has about 400,000 followers, and works three days a week. This episode is presented by Proppel. Hire A-player marketing and ops talent from the US and LATAM, and get 10% off your first hire: https://www.weareproppel.com/theadvantage Follow Mike on Instagram: @mikewystrach ‚ https://instagram.com/mikewystrach In this episode: - Why he won't quit a job until his side income has doubled his salary for six months - His exact posting formula: weekdays, 9am to noon, 8 to 12 lines, one visual - Write 20 stories first: your 10 best and 10 worst moments - How one post filled his inbox with buyers before he had a website - Why he turned down $400K: "You're a shark and I'm a dolphin" CHAPTERS 0:00 1,000 Followers to 400K 1:52 Arsenal at $100K a Week 6:47 Shopify on the Seventh Try 7:47 One Post, 200,000 Impressions 11:43 He Wrote His Own Eulogy 13:19 Your Niche Will Find You 14:44 Write 20 Stories First 15:20 The Weekday Posting Formula 16:47 Your Company Isn't Your Family 17:35 The Six-Month Doubling Rule 23:38 No Website, Just DMs 24:19 Creators vs Money Makers 28:30 $47 Ebook to $750K 31:33 No Alarm, Three-Day Weeks 38:37 $20K a Month, 20 Hours 44:18 He Turned Down $400K 51:52 Final Thoughts and Wrap Up TOBI OLUWOLE LinkedIn ‚ https://www.linkedin.com/in/thetobioluwole Founder's Blueprint ‚ https://foundersblueprint.ai Website ‚ https://www.tobioluwole.com THE ADVANTAGE Apple Podcasts ‚ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-advantage-with-mike-wystrach/id6783458081 Spotify ‚https://open.spotify.com/show/033DuFkyBRu3qvgp8ozPz1 All episodes ‚ https://mikewystrach.com/podcast PRESENTED BY PROPPEL Proppel places marketing and operations talent from the US, LATAM and beyond, from video editors, designers and media buyers to managers, directors and VPs. It's performance-based: a one-off fee only when you hire, no retainers, and a three-month guarantee on every hire. Get 10% off your first hire ‚ https://www.weareproppel.com/theadvantage #TobiOluwole #LinkedIn #TheAdvantage
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S1 · E9
September 30 · 37 min
I Back Celebrity Brands. Fame Is the Third Thing I Check | Scott Van den Berg, HotStart VC
Scott Van den Berg invests only in brands founded by celebrities and creators, and the celebrity is the third thing he checks. He started with $10,000 checks and no network in Hollywood. Now his portfolio includes brands from Selena Gomez, DJ Khaled, Jake Paul and Katy Perry. This episode is presented by Proppel. Hire A-player marketing and ops talent from the US and LATAM, and get 10% off your first hire: https://www.weareproppel.com/theadvantage Follow Mike on Instagram: @mikewystrach — https://instagram.com/mikewystrach In this episode: ◼ The 20% equity mistake founders make with celebrities ◼ How to vest a celebrity's equity on work, not posts ◼ Why Kim Kardashian was an Update customer before she was a co-founder ◼ Yeezy's $1.7B collapse and "key celebrity risk" ◼ Why celebrity CPG brands stall near a $1B exit CHAPTERS 00:00 20 Million Followers, No Business 04:04 No Network in Hollywood 04:47 Why Take Equity Over $3M? 06:49 The 20% Equity Mistake 09:13 How Much Equity to Give 12:37 Kim Kardashian Bought It First 14:25 $10,000 Checks, Celebrity Cap Tables 17:49 Celebrities Are Building Tech Now 18:53 CPG Caps Out Near $1B 23:55 Supported, Never Depended On 25:50 Yeezy's $1.7B, Gone Overnight 26:33 The Chamberlain Coffee Problem 31:10 TikTok Sells Chocolate Bars 37:08 Final Thoughts and Wrap Up SCOTT VAN DEN BERG HotStart VC → https://www.hotstart.vc The Fame Game → https://hotstart.beehiiv.com LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-van-den-berg-22b534150/ THE ADVANTAGE Watch on YouTube, Apple Podcasts and Spotify. All episodes → https://mikewystrach.com/podcast PRESENTED BY PROPPEL Proppel places marketing and operations talent from the US, LATAM and beyond, from video editors, designers and media buyers to managers, directors and VPs. It's performance-based: a one-off fee only when you hire, no retainers, and a three-month guarantee on every hire. Get 10% off your first hire → https://www.weareproppel.com/theadvantage
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S1 · E8
September 23 · 1 hr
I made $200K talking to strangers | Josh Suggs, StreetTalk
Josh Suggs made $200,000 in profit his first summer walking up to strangers in New York parks with a microphone. No website, no personal brand, no connections, no investors. He was sleeping on a friend's couch in an apartment with no Wi-Fi, so every night he carried an SD card to an Apple Store and emailed a public Google Drive link to his one editor in Croatia. He had a 2.1 GPA and spent high school in special ed, in the same house as a twin sister who went to the University of Chicago on a full ride. StreetTalk is now more than 100 people and eight figures of revenue. This episode is presented by Proppel. Hire A-player marketing and ops talent from the US and LATAM, and get 10% off your first hire: https://www.weareproppel.com/theadvantage Follow Mike on Instagram: @mikewystrach — https://instagram.com/mikewystrach Josh breaks down the offer he cold-pitched to brand founders on Twitter, the phone call that got his mother's blessing to leave Syracuse, and the merger that made it an agency. What you'll learn in this episode: ◼ The Westport Front Porch play: free lessons traded for posts in a town's mom Facebook group, then the same play on founders ◼ The B2B influencer read: Ridge's Sean Frank is not a wallet CEO, he is followed by 100,000 other consumer CEOs ◼ The $5,000 offer: ten strangers reacting to your product, edited, ready to run, sold with no audience of his own ◼ The reps moat: 20,000 of these ads, 30,000 steps a day, and why a client cannot send a replacement ◼ His team, my offer: the Missouri merger that took two people to a $3 million run rate in three months ◼ The Media Mafia earnings call: eight founders under 23 reporting numbers monthly, $3.75 million last month If you are young, broke and convinced you need a credential before you can start, this one is about the reps nobody else will do. CHAPTERS 0:00 $200K Talking to Strangers 3:33 $45,000 Teaching Kids Tennis 6:21 $5,000 for Ten Interviews 8:54 Uploading at the Apple Store 12:34 My Moat Is 20,000 Ads 15:42 Mom's Friend Said Drop Out 19:50 His Team, My Offer 21:14 "I'm Why You Dropped Out" 27:19 He Owned the Magic Castle 35:32 A $3,000 Retainer at Fifteen 41:15 Collect Nos, Not Yeses 43:57 One-Way and Two-Way Doors 54:12 The Media Mafia Earnings Call 56:49 You Are a Time Billionaire 59:57 Final Thoughts and Wrap Up CONNECT WITH JOSH SUGGS StreetTalk → https://streettalk.com X → https://x.com/joshsuggss All episodes → https://mikewystrach.com/podcast PRESENTED BY PROPPEL Your business is only as good as the people in it, and finding real A players is one of the hardest things you'll do. Proppel specializes in marketing and operations talent, placing top people from the US, LATAM and beyond. Whether you need video editors, graphic designers, or media buyers from LATAM, or managers, directors, heads of department and VPs in the US, they'll help you build the team you actually need to grow. It's all performance-based. You pay a one-off fee only once you actually hire someone, so no retainers and no ongoing costs. Every hire comes with a three-month guarantee. Get 10% off your first hire → https://www.weareproppel.com/theadvantage
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S1 · E7
September 16 · 1 hr
She Got 1,000 No's Now Her Company Does $250M A Year | Katerina Schneider
Kat Schneider counted a 1,000 no's before Ritual worked. She was a venture partner running 70 companies for Troy Carter when she got pregnant, went looking for a prenatal vitamin, and could not find one that would tell her where the ingredients came from. She quit 4 months pregnant. One of the best known investors in LA told her to her face she could start a business or a family but there was no way in hell she was doing both. She has three daughters and a company that did more than $250 million in revenue in 2024. This episode is presented by Proppel. https://www.weareproppel.com/theadvantage Follow Mike on Instagram: https://instagram.com/mikewystrach What you'll learn in this episode: • Why she held back a finished product customers were actively asking for • The proof stack under a single SKU: traceable supply chain, USP verification that under 1% of vitamins carry, a university clinical study, a patent • Why this business had to raise venture money when most supplement brands should not • The advice she forgot for two years and had to relearn: make yourself replaceable, then do not step back in • Why waiting for a co-founder is the excuse she hears from women founders and almost never from men • What she does with a no now • The rule of three she uses to kill the guilt about what is not getting done this week • Why every generational company was built by somebody with no experience in the category If you are building something in a category that does not trust you yet, or sitting on a second product you are not sure you have earned the right to launch, this one is about the sequencing almost nobody gets right. CHAPTERS 0:00 1,000 No's, Then $250M 1:44 $50 and a Suitcase 4:54 Running 70 Companies at 30 9:05 The Label Told Her Nothing 10:13 Quitting Four Months Pregnant 11:39 "Business or Family, Not Both" 14:44 Phil Knight Was an Accountant 18:38 His Business, Her "Project" 19:29 Pumping on a Broken Escalator 22:07 When You Need Venture Money 23:16 $5M on Clinical Studies 24:47 One Product for Two Years 26:19 She Sat on the Prenatal 27:56 The Product Is the Moat 28:36 Build for the Skeptic 29:20 One Brand Changed the Law 34:46 $250M Feels Like Nothing 39:17 A Decade In, a Coach 40:55 Make Yourself Replaceable 47:22 The Co-Founder Cop-Out 49:09 Why a No Excites Her 51:42 Three No's, Then the Check 54:49 The Rule of Three 58:47 Final Thoughts and Wrap Up CONNECT WITH KAT SCHNEIDER Ritual → https://ritual.com LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/katerinamarkov FOLLOW THE ADVANTAGE All episodes → https://mikewystrach.com/podcast PRESENTED BY PROPPEL Proppel places A-player marketing and operations talent from the US, LATAM and beyond: video editors, graphic designers and media buyers through to managers, directors and VPs. Performance-based, a one-off fee only once you actually hire, no retainers, no ongoing costs, and every hire carries a three-month guarantee. Get 10% off your first hire → https://www.weareproppel.com/theadvantage
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S1 · E6
September 9 · 56 min
How to take the leap from corporate to entrepreneurship | Addison LaBonte
Addison LaBonte is the founder of Sweet Addison's, a gluten-free dessert brand she started in her apartment kitchen in January 2024 and still owns outright. She built the customers first and the company second. This episode is presented by Proppel. Hire A-player marketing and ops talent from the US and LATAM, and get 10% off your first hire: https://www.weareproppel.com/theadvantage Follow Mike on Instagram: https://instagram.com/mikewystrach A doctor told her she could have surgery for compartment syndrome or stop running for good. She took a third option, cut gluten, and ran again. Almost nothing had been written about any of it, so she started posting her own recipes. In 2022 she posted a different cookie recipe every day for 25 days. A few hit five million views, and the replies asked where to buy. Sweet Addison's launched thirteen months later on about $5,000. Month one did seven to eight thousand dollars with no paid marketing at all. No outside money, no board, and she still self-manufactures everything the company sells. By her own estimate ninety-nine percent of America has never heard of Sweet Addison's, which she offers as the reason to be excited rather than the thing to fix. ⏱️ CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Intro 00:02:29 Why A Walk-On Athlete Makes A Better Founder 00:05:26 The Diagnosis That Ended Her Running Career 00:09:36 Getting Fired Was The Best Thing That Happened To Her 00:14:22 The 25-Day Posting Streak That Built Her Customer List 00:15:10 The TSA Moment That Started A Cookie Company 00:19:53 How She Made $7,000 In Month One With No Ads 00:35:23 When To Turn On Paid Ads, And Why She Waited 00:45:32 The Fear That Stops Most People From Starting 00:49:42 How To Start A Brand For $5,000 And Keep 100% 🔗 ADDISON LABONTE Sweet Addison's: https://sweetaddisons.com Organically Addison: https://organicallyaddison.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/organicallyaddison Sweet Addison's on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sweet.addisons 🎙️ THE ADVANTAGE Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-advantage-with-mike-wystrach/id6783458081 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033DuFkyBRu3qvgp8ozPz1 All episodes: https://mikewystrach.com/podcast ⚡ PRESENTED BY PROPPEL Proppel places A-player marketing and operations talent from the US, LATAM and beyond: video editors, graphic designers and media buyers through to managers, directors and VPs. Performance-based, a one-off fee only once you actually hire, no retainers, no ongoing costs, and every hire carries a three-month guarantee. Get 10% off your first hire: https://www.weareproppel.com/theadvantage #AddisonLaBonte #SweetAddisons #TheAdvantage #MikeWystrach
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S1 · E5
September 2 · 56 min
How to hire fast in a startup | Leandro Cabrini
We turned the six moves from this episode into one free PDF, The Cabrini Playbook → https://mikewystrach.com/get/leandro-playbook Presented by Proppel. Get 10% off your first hire: https://www.weareproppel.com/theadvantage Follow Mike on Instagram: https://instagram.com/mikewystrach In this episode Mike and Leandro cover the task list that has to exist before the job description, the purpose every interview stage needs, the test project, the onboarding almost nobody builds, and the time zone trick for founders with no process yet. The rule underneath all of it is the one Mike has hired by for a decade: go get the person you technically cannot afford. Full disclosure, and Mike says it in the first minute: Proppel is the presenting sponsor of this show. He found them through Google and ChatGPT, hired through them, and went to them about sponsoring afterwards. ⏱️ CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Intro 00:01:38 He Started A Recruitment Agency Without Ever Running One 00:06:41 Freshly Had 2,500 Employees And 700 Were International 00:09:01 Cheaper Talent Lets You Hire Three Months Earlier 00:14:40 Everyone Can Hire. Onboarding Is Where It Breaks 00:17:35 Write The Task List Before You Write The Job Description 00:21:50 Time Zone Is The Cheat Code When You Have No Process 00:23:29 Hire The Person You Technically Can't Afford 00:34:55 A US Creative Strategist Costs $150K. In LATAM, $6 To $8K A Month 00:45:44 The Real Cost Of Hiring Is Not Having To Hire 🔗 LEANDRO CABRINI Proppel: https://www.weareproppel.com/theadvantage LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leacabrini The Talent Standard: https://www.youtube.com/@Proppel 🎙️ THE ADVANTAGE Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-advantage-with-mike-wystrach/id6783458081 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033DuFkyBRu3qvgp8ozPz1 All episodes: https://mikewystrach.com/podcast Free playbook: https://mikewystrach.com/get/leandro-playbook ⚡ PRESENTED BY PROPPEL Get 10% off your first hire: https://www.weareproppel.com/theadvantage #howtohire #Proppel #TheAdvantage #MikeWystrach #Hiring
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S1 · E4
August 26 · 46 min
Your time is worth more than your wealth | Kenny Santucci
Kenny Santucci did nine seasons of MTV's The Challenge. Today he trains Bon Jovi, guys from the Knicks, and whichever WWE wrestlers are in town, out of two New York gyms he owns. Presented by Proppel — hire A-player marketing and ops talent from the US and LATAM. Get 10% off your first hire: https://www.weareproppel.com/theadvantage Follow Mike on Instagram: https://instagram.com/mikewystrach CHAPTERS 00:00:00 The Month He Lost Under Armour And HYROX 00:01:45 Nine Seasons On MTV's The Challenge 00:04:02 Start Before You Know What You're Doing 00:08:09 What A Two-Year Lawsuit Teaches You About Partners 00:16:38 Why Community Is The Only Moat A Gym Has 00:19:17 Rebuilding From A Push Cart In A Public Park 00:26:55 Bon Jovi, The Knicks, And Who Else Walks In 00:27:44 $500K Used To Be Rich. Now $5M Makes You A Loser 00:29:28 Admit You Don't Know Business, Then Ask For Help 00:37:02 Own Your Distribution Or Rent Someone Else's Audience Everything between those two sentences is the part nobody puts on a highlight reel. He came off television and took the New Jersey civil service test his father wanted him to take, and got hired onto a fire department — he describes standing in the line-up thinking this was going to be the rest of his life. He partnered into a gym in Jersey with no idea how business worked and nobody to ask, and it ended in a two-year lawsuit. He built a 5:30am class at Solace that packed out for years while the equity he was promised never arrived. Then in January 2020 he signed Under Armour and HYROX in the same month, and weeks later both deals were gone and New York was shut. He pushed a cart of kettlebells to the park at 28th and 10th because it was the only way left to work, and the wheel came off on the way. People walking past asked to join. That is The Strength Club, now in Flatiron and Caldwell NJ, and Strong New York — the festival Forbes named one of the best in the country, taking over the Glasshouse on September 26. He is sharp on what the money noise does to people. Growing up he didn't know anyone earning $500,000 a year, and now the going line is that $5 million a year makes you a loser. Ask him the ten-year plan and there is no exit in it. His merch says bury me in the gym. KENNY SANTUCCI Instagram: https://instagram.com/kennysantucci Website: https://kenny-santucci.com Strong New York: https://www.strongnewyork.com The Strength Club: https://thestrengthclub.com PRESENTED BY PROPPEL Proppel places A-player marketing and operations talent from the US, LATAM and beyond — video editors, designers and media buyers through to managers, directors and VPs. It's performance-based: a one-off fee only once you actually hire someone, no retainers, no ongoing costs, and every hire comes with a three-month guarantee. Get 10% off your first hire: https://www.weareproppel.com/theadvantage THE ADVANTAGE All episodes: https://mikewystrach.com/podcast
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S1 · E3
August 19 · 1 hr 3 min
$600M Operator: Start in a Niche. Just Don't Plan to Stay There. | Sam McBride
Sam McBride is the CEO of Kettle & Fire and the founder of Colter Ventures, where he writes $40 to $150 million checks into a handful of businesses at a time. This episode is presented by Proppel. Hire A-player marketing and ops talent from the US and LATAM, and get 10% off your first hire: https://www.weareproppel.com/theadvantage Full show notes and everything mentioned: https://mikewystrach.com/podcast/sam-mcbride A year out of school and working in healthcare M&A, McBride sold a $10 million piece of business to a division he did not work in. He asked his MD what that was worth to him and got a story about how long the man had waited for his yacht club membership. He quit. Then he called a mentor who was buying home security companies and offered to work for $30,000 a year for six months, on one condition: he wanted to be an executive immediately. He was 21. Every decision since has the same shape. He joined RXBAR as roughly its fourth employee and was there when Kellogg bought it for $600 million. He put $44 million into a bone broth company he had sat on the board of for years, and took the CEO seat when its chief executive proposed they swap and run it together. The most portable thing he says is about niches. McBride is blunt that the niche was the training ground rather than the destination. The time in it is what made every later decision obvious, which is why he tells founders to start narrow and plan the way out at the same time. He is unsentimental about the job itself. One problem after another, almost no credit, and getting kicked in the head often enough that you stop expecting otherwise. Once in a while there is an outcome. The other 99% is the part you have to like. Chapters 00:00:00 Operating Is Solving Problems For Almost No Credit 00:02:45 The Yacht Club Story That Ended His Finance Career 00:04:00 He Offered To Work For $30,000 A Year At 21 00:13:12 RXBAR Was Three Grade School Friends And A Warehouse 00:19:51 The CrossFit Business Topped Out At $6 Million 00:32:31 There Were Four Other RXBARs 00:35:30 The Values Interview That Ran The Final Round 00:41:31 Selling To Kellogg For $600 Million 00:50:28 Fewer Bets, Bigger Bets, And Kettle & Fire 00:59:27 Start In A Niche. Just Do Not Plan To Stay There. Sam McBride Colter Ventures: https://www.colterventures.com Kettle & Fire: https://www.kettleandfire.com PRESENTED BY PROPPEL Your business is only as good as the people in it, and finding real A players is one of the hardest things you'll do. Proppel specializes in marketing and operations talent, placing top people from the US, LATAM and beyond. It's all performance-based. You pay a one-off fee only once you actually hire someone, so no retainers and no ongoing costs. Every hire comes with a three-month guarantee. Get 10% off your first hire: https://www.weareproppel.com/theadvantage All episodes: https://mikewystrach.com/podcast Instagram: https://instagram.com/mikewystrach
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S1 · E2
August 12 · 49 min
Navigating the Creator Economy | Vitalii Dodonov, Stan
Vitalii Dodonov is the co-founder and CTO of Stan, a creator commerce platform that's generated over $600M for it's creators. Every other platform in the category takes 10 to 20 percent of what a creator sells. Stan takes nothing. Presented by Proppel. Hire A-player marketing and ops talent from the US and LATAM, and get 10% off your first hire: https://www.weareproppel.com/theadvantage Mike's IG: https://www.instagram.com/mikewystrach/ In late 2022 Stan was doing roughly $1 million a year, and a slice of that was commission. They had added the cut for the reason everyone adds it: the rest of the category had one. Then Vitalii and his co-founder John Hu built the spreadsheet that killed it. They deleted transaction fees entirely and put the business on a flat $30 a month. Revenue went from $1 million to $15 million to $27 million. Giving up a take rate at $1 million ARR means giving up the fastest-compounding line in the business. Mike walks him back into the room where that call was made, who pushed back, and what settled it. Vitalii is also clear that removing the fee is not what caused the 8.5x. The growth came from building a product people talked about, on no marketing budget. A team of 30 changes the operative question: it stops being what to build and becomes what to refuse to build. And the thesis underneath is strange for a monetization company. Monetization was never the hard part. Attention is easy to accumulate and almost nobody knows what to do with it. Distribution is the bottleneck, and creator churn is structural rather than a product failure. That produced Stanley, the AI head of content Stan built in 14 days. Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction 00:07:46 He Turned Down A Mid-Six-Figure Amazon Offer 00:14:01 Time In The Arena Beats Founder Dating 00:17:56 What Do You Do With The Attention? 00:21:50 They Added A Commission Because Everyone Else Had One 00:22:29 The Spreadsheet That Killed The Commission 00:24:26 Removing The Fee Was Not What Drove The Growth 00:27:38 $1M To $15M To $27M 00:29:54 Crossing $30M ARR With Fewer Than 30 People 00:30:14 No Marketing Budget, And Gas In A Tank 00:32:49 What A Personal Head Of Content Actually Does 00:39:31 Every Founder Is About To Need A Digital Identity 00:43:48 At 30, Optimize For The Rooms You Sit In Vitalii Dodonov Stan: https://stan.store LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vitddnv/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/vitddnv/ PRESENTED BY PROPPEL Your business is only as good as the people in it, and finding real A players is one of the hardest things you'll do. Proppel specializes in marketing and operations talent, placing top people from the US, LATAM and beyond. Whether you need video editors, graphic designers, or media buyers from LATAM, or managers, directors, heads of department and VPs in the US, they'll help you build the team you actually need to grow. It's all performance-based. You pay a one-off fee only once you actually hire someone, so no retainers and no ongoing costs. Every hire comes with a three-month guarantee. Get 10% off your first hire: https://www.weareproppel.com/theadvantage
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S1 · E1
August 5 · 52 min
The Best Hire beehiiv Almost Never Made | Daniel Berk
Daniel Berk is giving you the Owned Audience Playbook · beehiiv's first sales hire on betting on yourself Presented by Proppel · A-player marketing and ops talent, 10% off your first hire → https://www.weareproppel.com/the-advantage-proppel Daniel Berk built a $78,000-a-year podcast working one hour a week. He learned the system as beehiiv's first sales hire, joining at 12 employees and under $1M in revenue. The company now reports $30M ARR. This conversation covers the entire playbook: the offshore clipping engine, packaging your personal audience for sponsors, why guests outperform banter, the first-dollar principle, and the AI agents that clip his videos, draft his posts, and watch his bank accounts. ⏱️ CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Trailer 00:00:38 Meet Daniel Berk, beehiiv's First Sales Hire 00:02:06 From Mowing Lawns at 12 to $2.5M of Sneeze Guards 00:05:46 Rejected for Employee #1, Hired 7 Months Later 00:07:32 Building beehiiv's Sales Motion From Zero 00:10:20 A Reported $30M ARR and a Self-Given C-Suite Title 00:13:27 The Podcast That Started With One DM 00:14:15 The Clipping Engine: $78K on One Hour a Week 00:17:53 90% of Podcasts Die Before Episode 20 00:18:51 Turning Down $300K to Bet on Himself 00:21:24 MoneyWise, Local Newsletters and a Micro SaaS Bet 00:23:06 Every Single Person Starts at Zero 00:24:48 Commit to 10 Years or Don't Start 00:26:55 The Threshold Number: When More Money Stops Mattering 00:30:06 Your First Dollar Online Changes Everything 00:31:43 Build the Marketing Machine Before the Product 00:35:26 The Lawn-Mowing YouTuber Making $100K a Video 00:40:00 A Claude Agent That Clips, Writes and Posts for Him 00:43:50 Be an AI Super User or Compete With One 00:47:52 Practical Edges: Claude, Wispr Flow and Building Apps 🔗 DANIEL BERK Website: https://danielberk.com X: https://x.com/danielcberk LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielberk MoneyWise: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfszC9-H9y38eA-h77OzJhw ⚡ PRESENTED BY PROPPEL Finding real A players is one of the hardest things you'll do. Proppel places marketing and operations talent from the US, LATAM and beyond: video editors, graphic designers and media buyers from LATAM, or managers, directors, heads of department and VPs in the US. Performance-based, one-off fee only when you hire, no retainers. Every hire comes with a three-month guarantee. Get 10% off your first hire → https://www.weareproppel.com/the-advantage-proppel 🎙️ More of THE ADVANTAGE All episodes: https://mikewystrach.com/podcast Instagram: @mikewystrach — https://instagram.com/mikewystrach Newsletter:https://mikewystrach.com/newsletter
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