Eating Glass Will Nitze (IQBAR) + Joe Lemay (Rocketbook)

In this episode of Eating Glass, Pete Maldonado, co-founder and co-CEO of CHOMPS, shares his entrepreneurial journey from hitting rock bottom to building a successful meat snack brand. From bootstrapping with just $6,500 to navigating existential crises during COVID-19, Pete offers candid insights on focus, innovation, and the importance of people in scaling a startup. Join hosts Will Nitze and Joe LeMay as they dive deep into Pete's experiences, uncovering valuable lessons on resilience, leadership, and redefining success in the face of adversity.
00:00:00 - Intro00:04:05 - CHOMPS: Better-For-You Meat Snacks00:06:00 - Broke to Rich: Pete's Evolution00:09:15 - Bootstrapping vs. Raising Capital00:12:30 - Hand-to-Mouth: Financing Early CHOMPS00:16:46 - Urgency and the Brand Enemy00:18:39 - Throwing Out the Playbook00:22:36 - Product Innovation Through Simplification00:25:02 - Surviving Two Existential Crises00:34:41 - Filtering Advice and Trusting Instincts00:38:30 - Transitioning from Startup to Corporate00:43:08 - Rapid Fire: Hiring and Platitudes00:47:29 - Rapid Fire: Mistakes and Success
ABOUT THE HOSTS:

Will Nitze is the Founder & CEO at IQBAR - America's leading "brain + body" nutrition startup. With minimal funding, Will has taken IQBAR from zero locations and zero in revenue in 2018 to 10,000+ doors and a projected $50 million in sales in 2024.

Joe Lemay founded Rocketbook with business partner Jake Epstein. After being featured on “Shark Tank”, where the sharks passed on a chance to invest – Joe would go on to grow Rocketbook and sell it to BIC for 40 million dollars just three years later.


Connect with Pete Maldonado:
Chomps Website: https://chomps.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petermaldonado/X: https://x.com/petemaldonadoInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/petemaldonado/

Ever dream of taking a wild product idea and turning it into a $50 million exit? Your co-host (and today's guest) Joe Lemay did just that with Rocketbook.
His initial idea was an app to digitize whiteboards in real-time. When that didn't pan out, Joe pivoted hard - creating the Rocketbook, a reusable notebook you could literally microwave to erase and reuse. This wacky "microwave to erase" gimmick went viral on Kickstarter, raising over $1 million. But actually manufacturing the microwavable notebooks was a nightmare...
Hear the full story of constant pivots, huge challenges, and 24/7 hustle behind this wild entrepreneurial journey.
00:00:00 - From Engineer to Entrepreneur00:03:50 - The Whiteboard App00:09:15 - Pivoting to Notebooks00:13:25 - Going Viral: Microwave to Erase00:19:20 - $1 Million in Pre-Sales00:22:20 - Manufacturing Nightmares00:26:45 - Surviving by a Thread00:30:10 - Shark Tank Roast00:31:25 - A Wipeable Wonder00:33:20 - Crowdfunding Kings00:38:15 - Word-of-Mouth Magic00:41:30 - Brick & Mortar Struggles00:44:50 - Exploring Exit Options00:53:50 - Selling to Bic: The $50 Million Deal00:56:40 - Post-Exit Life01:00:05 - Rapid Fire01:04:50 - Wrapping Up
ABOUT THE HOSTS:

Will Nitze is the Founder & CEO at IQBAR - America's leading "brain + body" nutrition startup. With minimal funding, Will has taken IQBAR from zero locations and zero in revenue in 2018 to 10,000+ doors and a projected $50 million in sales in 2024.

Joe Lemay founded Rocketbook with business partner Jake Epstein. After being featured on “Shark Tank”, where the sharks passed on a chance to invest – Joe would go on to grow Rocketbook and sell it to BIC for 40 million dollars just three years later.


Connect with Joe Lemay:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lemayjoe/X: https://twitter.com/lemayjoeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lemayjoe/?hl=en

Mike Fata, founder of Manitoba Harvest, shares his incredible journey from high school dropout to building a $419 million hemp empire. Discover the lessons he learned while navigating the challenges of entrepreneurship, from humble beginnings to scaling a business, managing successful exits, and embracing servant leadership. Mike's insights on passion, persistence, and personal growth will inspire and motivate you on your own entrepreneurial path.
Chapter Titles:00:00:00 - Intro00:05:16 - Starting Manitoba Harvest00:07:34 - Early Guerrilla Marketing00:11:56 - Scaling to $1 Million00:15:10 - The Path to $10 Million00:19:05 - Trademark Battles00:21:25 - Challenges of 24/7 Manufacturing00:22:18 - Navigating the First Exit00:27:44 - Life After Partial Exit00:29:54 - The $419 Million Exit00:32:14 - Investing Philosophy00:34:20 - Finding Deals00:36:10 - The Evolution of CPG00:40:00 - Mike's Portfolio Insights00:41:29 - A Tough Lesson Learned00:44:55 - Rapid Fire Questions00:49:14 - Balancing Entrepreneurship and Single Fatherhood00:52:05 - Servant Leadership00:53:06 - Conclusion

ABOUT THE HOSTS:

Will Nitze is the Founder & CEO at IQBAR - America's leading "brain + body" nutrition startup. With minimal funding, Will has taken IQBAR from zero locations and zero in revenue in 2018 to 10,000+ doors and a projected $50 million in sales in 2024.

Joe Lemay founded Rocketbook with business partner Jake Epstein. After being featured on “Shark Tank”, where the sharks passed on a chance to invest – Joe would go on to grow Rocketbook and sell it to BIC for 40 million dollars just three years later.


Connect with Mike Fata:

Website: https://www.mikefata.ca/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/themikefata/X: https://twitter.com/themikefataInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/themikefata/

Welcome to the first episode of Eating Glass!
In this inaugural episode, ho sts Will Nitze and Joe Lemay sit down with founder Preston Rutherford to dive into his journey starting his company ‘Chubbies’ and how he (and his friends) pioneered some of the raddest, most weekend-built gear ever.

From the benefits (and drawbacks) he experienced by having co-founders and being in a niche product category – to how he managed headwinds, tailwinds and ultimately, to how he successfully exited, you’ll get access to every stage of Preston’s startup journey!

Episode Highlights:

[00:00:00] Intro[00:09:00] The Early Days of Chubbies[00:12:21] Funding Chubbies[00:16:00] How Co-Founders Drove Chubbies' Success[00:22:10] Polarizing Products and Brand Salience[00:27:36] Expanding Channels, Facing Headwinds[00:33:26] Adapting to Fashion Trends & Seasonality[00:40:40] Maintaining the Spark During Growth[00:50:44] Navigating Multiple Exit Attempts[00:56:00] Earned Secrets & Regrets[01:11:00] Priorities After the Acquisition[01:16:10] Final Thoughts

ABOUT THE HOSTS:

Will Nitze is the Founder & CEO at IQBAR - America's leading "brain + body" nutrition startup. With minimal funding, Will has taken IQBAR from zero locations and zero in revenue in 2018 to 10,000+ doors and a projected $50 million in sales in 2024.

Joe Lemay founded Rocketbook with business partner Jake Epstein. After being featured on “Shark Tank”, where the sharks passed on a chance to invest – Joe would go on to grow Rocketbook and sell it to BIC for 40 million dollars just three years later.


Connect with Preston Rutherford:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/prestonr/

https://bodaciousbrands.beehiiv.com/p/introducing-bodacious-brands

Welcome to Eating Glass