Growth Mavericks

From $4K Bet to 650 Retailers: The Surf & Turf Club Growth Story

In this episode, Adam Callinan sits down with Taylor Artman, founder of Surf & Turf Club, to unpack how he scaled a golf lifestyle brand into 650+ retail locations across 42 states and multiple countries—all while generating just ~2% of revenue from e-commerce.  Taylor’s journey is anything but conventional. After a career-ending injury, he pivoted from professional golf into entrepreneurship, building Surf & Turf Club from grassroots community roots into a wholesale powerhouse inside elite country clubs and pro shops. 🚀 What You’ll Learn: *  How Surf & Turf Club landed in 100+ retail accounts early—before even launching a website  *  The $4K sponsorship strategy that generated $43K in wholesale orders overnight  *  Why wholesale can outperform DTC in today’s high CAC environment  *  The real reason most brands struggle with paid ads (and what actually works now)  *  How athlete mindset—resilience, discipline, and discomfort—translates into business success  *  Why focusing on a single product category (headwear) accelerated growth  *  The dangers of “shiny object syndrome” in both product and marketing  🧩 Key Takeaways: *  You don’t need viral ads to build a scalable brand—distribution can be your moat  *  CAC pressure is forcing a rethink of DTC-first strategies  *  Deep focus beats broad expansion in early-stage growth  *  Small wins compound—both in sports and in business  This episode is a masterclass in playing your own game, building with discipline, and scaling a brand through unconventional channels. 🔗 Explore More: 👉 Pentane (Financial Command Center): https://www.pentane.com [https://www.pentane.com] 👉 Growth Mavericks Podcast: https://www.growthmaverickspodcast.com [https://www.growthmaverickspodcast.com] 👉 Surf & Turf Club: https://www.surfandturf.golf

Bootstrapping, Burnout, and Breakthroughs with Po Campo Founder Maria Boustead

In this episode of Growth Mavericks, Adam Callinan sits down with Maria Boustead, founder of Po Campo, to unpack one of the most honest startup journeys you’ll hear. Maria didn’t raise venture capital. She didn’t scale overnight. And for years, it didn’t look like it was “working.” But she kept going. From building prototypes with stapled fabric and Home Depot parts to landing major retail accounts like REI, Maria shares the real story behind building a consumer brand the hard way. This is a masterclass in patience, resilience, and staying in the game long enough to win. If you’re building something and wondering if it’s worth it — this episode is for you. 🔑 KEY TAKEAWAYS *  Why “overnight success” can take over a decade  *  The truth about product-market fit (and how long it really takes)  *  How to start a company without quitting your job  *  Why bootstrapping builds stronger businesses  *  The pros and cons of raising venture capital  *  How Maria scaled Po Campo into major retailers like REI  *  Why timing matters just as much as execution  *  The importance of staying in the game long enough to win  ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS 00:00 – Intro  01:00 – The Po Campo origin story  05:30 – Building the first prototype  10:00 – Finding manufacturers (the unconventional way)  15:00 – Early struggles and slow growth  22:00 – Why wholesale didn’t work at first  30:00 – The pricing problem  38:00 – When to quit your job (and when not to)  45:00 – The turning point after 10+ years  52:00 – COVID, e-bikes, and market timing  58:00 – Why VC funding isn’t always the answer  01:05:00 – Lessons on resilience and longevity 🔗 LINKS & RESOURCES *  Growth Mavericks Podcast: https://www.growthmaverickspodcast.com [https://www.growthmaverickspodcast.com] *  Pentane: https://www.pentane.com [https://www.pentane.com] *  Po Campo: https://www.pocampo.com [https://www.pocampo.com] *  Po Campo Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pocampobags [https://www.instagram.com/pocampobags] *  Maria Boustead LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com [https://www.linkedin.com]

The Wild Story Behind SENIQ: From ACL Injury to REI Breakout

In this episode of Growth Mavericks, Adam Callinan sits down with Tina Thompson, founder of SENIQ, to break down the unconventional journey behind one of the fastest-rising women’s outdoor brands. What started during recovery from an ACL injury turned into a breakout brand now landing in REI and reshaping how women think about outdoor apparel. Tina didn’t follow traditional startup advice. No deep customer research. No venture capital. No perfectly mapped strategy. Just instinct, grit, and relentless execution. This conversation dives into what it actually takes to build something from nothing, scale into major retail, and create a brand designed to last 100 years. If you’re a founder, operator, or building a consumer brand, this episode is a masterclass in trusting your gut and doing the hard things. 🔑 KEY TAKEAWAYS *  Why Tina ignored traditional customer research—and why it worked  *  The real story behind breaking into REI  *  How SENIQ scaled without venture capital  *  The difference between DTC hype and wholesale reality  *  Why building a “100-year brand” changes your decisions  *  How injury and adversity can become your biggest advantage  *  The role of instinct vs data in early-stage companies  ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS 00:00 – Intro  01:15 – Tina’s background and SENIQ origin story  05:40 – The ACL injury that changed everything  10:20 – Why she didn’t rely on customer research  15:05 – Building the first products  20:30 – Breaking into REI  27:10 – Wholesale vs DTC strategy  34:45 – Scaling without VC  42:00 – Lessons on resilience and doing hard things  48:30 – Building a 100-year brand Growth Mavericks Podcast: https://www.growthmaverickspodcast.com [https://www.growthmaverickspodcast.com] Pentane (Financial Command Center for Consumer Brands): https://www.pentane.com [https://www.pentane.com]  SENIQ: https://seniqbrand.com/ [https://www.seniq.com]

Dovetail Workwear Founder Sara DeLuca on Building a Durable Brand

What happens when a product doesn’t exist… but clearly should? In this episode of Growth Mavericks, Adam Callinan sits down with Sara DeLuca, co-founder of Dovetail Workwear—a brand built to solve a problem most companies ignored: real workwear for women. What started as a simple idea—making better pants for landscapers—turned into a fast-growing brand with deep product complexity, massive SKU challenges, and a mission-driven community. This is a masterclass in building a durable brand the right way: slow, intentional, and grounded in real customer needs. WHAT YOU’LL LEARN *  How to validate a product before scaling  *  Why solving a real problem beats chasing trends  *  The hidden complexity behind apparel SKUs  *  How to manage inventory without killing cash flow  *  Why “taking the stairs” beats hypergrowth  *  How COVID unexpectedly helped their business  *  Building a mission-driven brand that lasts  KEY TAKEAWAYS *  Build for a need, not a trend  *  Talk to your customers constantly  *  SKU creep can quietly destroy your margins  *  Wholesale + DTC balance matters  *  Durability > speed when building a brand  CHAPTERS 00:00 The problem: workwear for women didn’t exist  02:00 Leaving NYC for a better life  04:00 Founding Dovetail in a backyard  07:00 Prototyping with 50 real users  10:00 Garage launch and trunk shows  13:00 First wholesale breakthrough  17:00 Scaling distribution channels  20:00 COVID impact on retail  23:00 Managing SKU complexity  30:00 Inventory strategy and margins  33:00 Building a brand that lasts  36:00 Founder mindset and durability LINKS Dovetail Workwear  https://dovetailworkwear.com [https://dovetailworkwear.com] Pentane (Ecommerce Command Center)  https://www.pentane.com [https://www.pentane.com] ABOUT THE PODCAST Growth Mavericks breaks down how founders actually build—from idea to scale—covering strategy, execution, and the real challenges behind growth. Hosted by Adam Callinan.

Adam Craft on Building Elevated Craft, Kickstarter Strategy, and Product Design

What happens when a product designer who’s built 100+ products a year decides to bet on himself? You get Elevated Craft—a brand born from engineering precision, relentless iteration, and a wildly successful Kickstarter that broke $2M in pre-sales before manufacturing even scaled. In this episode of Growth Mavericks, Adam Callinan sits down with Adam Craft to unpack a startup story that flips the traditional playbook. Instead of solving a personal problem, Adam engineered a category. Instead of guessing demand, he modeled it mathematically. And instead of playing it safe, he launched during COVID with newborn twins at home. 💡 What You’ll Learn *  How Adam designed a “category creation” strategy (not just a product)  *  Why he started with brand first, product second *  The exact thinking behind a $500K Kickstarter → $2M+ total raise *  How to use “brute force math” to validate startup risk  *  Why perceived value > cost of goods in pricing strategy  *  The reality of launching hardware during COVID supply chain chaos  *  How communication builds trust (and saves failing launches)  *  Why constraints and reps matter more than shortcuts in entrepreneurship  🧠 Key Takeaways * You don’t need a problem—just a better system. * Category creation = pricing power. * Kickstarter is validation + distribution + capital (if done right). * Your first 1,000 customers determine your trajectory. * Execution under pressure builds real founders. 🔗 Resources & Links *  Elevated Craft → https://elevatedcraft.com [https://elevatedcraft.com] *  Learn more about Pentane → https://www.pentane.com [https://www.pentane.com] *  Follow Growth Mavericks for more founder stories  🎧 Episode Breakdown * 00:00 – From industrial design to entrepreneurship  * 06:00 – Why Adam restarted college for the right path  * 14:00 – Building a product pipeline (100 products/year)  * 20:00 – The “category creation” strategy  * 26:00 – Kickstarter launch playbook  * 30:00 – COVID chaos + supply chain survival  * 40:00 – Patents, competition, and brand moat  * 45:00 – Founder mindset, balance, and resilience