Sustainable Pet Treats: Turning Regenerative Farming Into Brand Growth with Stephen Calsbeek

Floral Ecommerce Innovation: Building a Farm-Direct Flower Empire with Liza Roeser

In this episode of The Growth Class, host Phil Masiello interviews Liza Roeser, Founder and CEO of FiftyFlowers. Liza shares how a Peace Corps assignment in Ecuador led her to discover the global flower export industry and eventually build one of the first direct-to-consumer online flower companies.  Starting with just $2,400 in savings, she transformed FiftyFlowers into a leading farm-direct ecommerce business serving weddings and events across the United States.  The conversation explores the complexities of managing a highly perishable international supply chain, scaling a niche ecommerce brand before modern platforms like Shopify existed, and building operational systems capable of delivering flowers at scale.  Phil and Liza also discuss lessons in brand positioning, customer trust, and staying focused on core business strengths, including how the company navigated the challenges of COVID-19 by adapting operations while remaining committed to its events-focused business model.  FiftyFlowers website: https://fiftyflowers.com There are a lot of  "experts" out there giving advice who’ve never built a thing. They’ve never stayed up all night sweating a product launch. Never had to scale a team. Never had to meet payroll. They’re just regurgitating what they read in someone else’s book. That’s not me.  I’ve built brands. I’ve scaled them. I’ve exited them. I’ve failed, won, and fought through it all. And now, my team and I help brands do it every single day — across eCommerce, retail, and digital.  We don’t just advise — we execute. We write the playbook. So if you’re done with fluff, fake gurus, and marketers who’ve never sold anything outside of a slide deck — you’re in the right place. This show is real strategies, real tactics, and real talk. https://www.facebook.com/philmasiello https://www.instagram.com/philmasiello/ https://www.tiktok.com/@philmasiello https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-masiello/ https://www.youtube.com/@philmasiello #StartupGrowth #EcommerceTips  #ScaleYourBrand #DTCMarketing #PhilMasiello #GrowthClass #BrandStrategy #MarketingPodcast #CrunchGrowth #StartupTips #BusinessGrowth

Sustainable Pet Treats: Turning Regenerative Farming Into Brand Growth with Stephen Calsbeek

In this episode of The Growth Class, host Phil Masiello interviews Stephen Calsbeek, co-owner of Farm Hounds. They discuss how Farm Hounds grew from a small pet retail concept into an Inc. 5000 direct-to-consumer brand built around regenerative agriculture, transparent sourcing, and single-ingredient dog treats.  Stephen shares how a conversation with White Oak Pastures sparked the idea for transforming nutrient-rich farm byproducts into premium pet chews while supporting small family farms and reducing waste.  The conversation explores the challenges of scaling a niche e-commerce business in the highly competitive pet industry, the power of word-of-mouth marketing and customer trust, and why Farm Hounds intentionally prioritizes slow, sustainable growth over rapid expansion.  Phil and Stephen also discuss consumer behavior shifts toward clean-label pet products, the importance of operational control and inventory management, and how radical transparency has become a major competitive advantage in modern pet commerce.  Farm Hounds website: https://farmhounds.com There are a lot of  "experts" out there giving advice who’ve never built a thing. They’ve never stayed up all night sweating a product launch. Never had to scale a team. Never had to meet payroll. They’re just regurgitating what they read in someone else’s book. That’s not me.  I’ve built brands. I’ve scaled them. I’ve exited them. I’ve failed, won, and fought through it all. And now, my team and I help brands do it every single day — across eCommerce, retail, and digital.  We don’t just advise — we execute. We write the playbook. So if you’re done with fluff, fake gurus, and marketers who’ve never sold anything outside of a slide deck — you’re in the right place. This show is real strategies, real tactics, and real talk. https://www.facebook.com/philmasiello https://www.instagram.com/philmasiello/ https://www.tiktok.com/@philmasiello https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-masiello/ https://www.youtube.com/@philmasiello #StartupGrowth #EcommerceTips  #ScaleYourBrand #DTCMarketing #PhilMasiello #GrowthClass #BrandStrategy #MarketingPodcast #CrunchGrowth #StartupTips #BusinessGrowth

E-commerce Brand Building: Creating Sustainable Boutique Growth Models with Tina Burgos

In this episode of The Growth Class, host Phil Masiello interviews Tina Burgos, founder of Covet + Lou, a curated online boutique and retail store that champions independent, sustainable, and women-owned designers.  They explore what it really takes to build a scalable retail brand in a world obsessed with volume, trends, and aggressive discounting, and how disciplined curation and customer understanding can create long-term brand loyalty instead of short-term sales spikes.  Tina shares lessons from her early brick-and-mortar experience in Boston’s Newbury Street retail scene, including the operational risks of mismanaging inventory per square foot and underestimating market readiness for emerging designers, as well as how those lessons shaped her more intentional approach to building Covet + Lou.  Covet + Lou website: https://covetandlou.com/ There are a lot of  "experts" out there giving advice who’ve never built a thing. They’ve never stayed up all night sweating a product launch. Never had to scale a team. Never had to meet payroll. They’re just regurgitating what they read in someone else’s book. That’s not me.  I’ve built brands. I’ve scaled them. I’ve exited them. I’ve failed, won, and fought through it all. And now, my team and I help brands do it every single day — across eCommerce, retail, and digital.  We don’t just advise — we execute. We write the playbook. So if you’re done with fluff, fake gurus, and marketers who’ve never sold anything outside of a slide deck — you’re in the right place. This show is real strategies, real tactics, and real talk. https://www.facebook.com/philmasiello https://www.instagram.com/philmasiello/ https://www.tiktok.com/@philmasiello https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-masiello/ https://www.youtube.com/@philmasiello #StartupGrowth #EcommerceTips  #ScaleYourBrand #DTCMarketing #PhilMasiello #GrowthClass #BrandStrategy #MarketingPodcast #CrunchGrowth #StartupTips #BusinessGrowth

Movement Building Strategies: Growing Mission-Driven Organizations with Carlos Carvalho

In this episode of Growth Class, host Phil Masiello interviews Carlos Carvalho, co-founder of One Movement Threads. Carlos shares his journey from working as a city laborer and union advocate to building a purpose-driven company that helps unions, nonprofits, and community organizations strengthen engagement through custom apparel, branding, websites, podcasting, and marketing services.  The conversation explores how authentic community building can create stronger organizations, why merchandise can be a powerful tool for movement growth, and the challenges and opportunities of supporting ethical, locally made manufacturing in North America.  Carlos also discusses the importance of understanding workers, serving mission-driven organizations, and creating brands that people are proud to represent beyond the workplace.  One Movement Threads website: https://onemvmt.com There are a lot of  "experts" out there giving advice who’ve never built a thing. They’ve never stayed up all night sweating a product launch. Never had to scale a team. Never had to meet payroll. They’re just regurgitating what they read in someone else’s book. That’s not me.  I’ve built brands. I’ve scaled them. I’ve exited them. I’ve failed, won, and fought through it all. And now, my team and I help brands do it every single day — across eCommerce, retail, and digital.  We don’t just advise — we execute. We write the playbook. So if you’re done with fluff, fake gurus, and marketers who’ve never sold anything outside of a slide deck — you’re in the right place. This show is real strategies, real tactics, and real talk. https://www.facebook.com/philmasiello https://www.instagram.com/philmasiello/ https://www.tiktok.com/@philmasiello https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-masiello/ https://www.youtube.com/@philmasiello #StartupGrowth #EcommerceTips  #ScaleYourBrand #DTCMarketing #PhilMasiello #GrowthClass #BrandStrategy #MarketingPodcast #CrunchGrowth #StartupTips #BusinessGrowth

Craft Business Growth: Scaling Through Content and Community with Claudia Chase and Elena Kawachi

In this episode of The Growth Class, host Phil Masiello interviews Claudia Chase, founder and president and Elena Kawachi, Co-owner and head of marketing at Mirrix Looms.  Claudia shares the remarkable story of how a personal need for a portable, professional-quality tapestry loom evolved into a globally recognized weaving brand that has served artists and makers for nearly three decades.  The conversation explores how Mirrix Looms built a loyal customer base through education, content marketing, community engagement, and continuous product innovation rather than relying on traditional advertising.  They discuss the power of solving a real customer problem, the importance of creating products that last, and how a niche manufacturing business can achieve sustainable growth while remaining debt-free and committed to U.S.-based production. Mirrix Looms website: https://mirrixlooms.com There are a lot of  "experts" out there giving advice who’ve never built a thing. They’ve never stayed up all night sweating a product launch. Never had to scale a team. Never had to meet payroll. They’re just regurgitating what they read in someone else’s book. That’s not me.  I’ve built brands. I’ve scaled them. I’ve exited them. I’ve failed, won, and fought through it all. And now, my team and I help brands do it every single day — across eCommerce, retail, and digital.  We don’t just advise — we execute. We write the playbook. So if you’re done with fluff, fake gurus, and marketers who’ve never sold anything outside of a slide deck — you’re in the right place. This show is real strategies, real tactics, and real talk. https://www.facebook.com/philmasiello https://www.instagram.com/philmasiello/ https://www.tiktok.com/@philmasiello https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-masiello/ https://www.youtube.com/@philmasiello #StartupGrowth #EcommerceTips  #ScaleYourBrand #DTCMarketing #PhilMasiello #GrowthClass #BrandStrategy #MarketingPodcast #CrunchGrowth #StartupTips #BusinessGrowth