GearJunkie Founder: "The Rules of Media Are Completely Broken"

GearJunkie Founder: "The Rules of Media Are Completely Broken"

Stephen Regenold is the founder of GearJunkie and a leading voice in outdoor media, entrepreneurship, affiliate commerce, and digital publishing.Stephen built GearJunkie from the ground up, starting as a newspaper column to review new gear before turning it into one of the most influential outdoor media brands in America. Along the way, he sold the company, helped spearhead a $40 million media rollup involving the company at All Gear Digital, traveled the world as a journalist, and learned firsthand how digital media has changed over the last two decades.In this episode of the Twin Cities Business Show, Steven shares lessons from building and selling GearJunkie, the future of media in the AI era, affiliate marketing, startup investing, outdoor culture, and why he thinks many media companies failed while GearJunkie survived.00:00 Introduction00:18 Building GearJunkie Into a Media Powerhouse02:34 The First Gear Review and Early Journalism Career04:11 Creating a Media Business While in College06:17 How Affiliate Marketing Changed GearJunkie07:58 Staying Ahead in Digital Media09:29 Selling GearJunkie and the $40M Rollup Strategy12:24 The GearJunkie Hammer and Branded Content13:56 The Sales Lesson That Transformed the Business16:04 Do You Need Passion to Build a Media Company?17:48 Why Niche Media Is Winning19:32 Can Media Brands Still Be Built Today?21:02 Why Print Is Making a Comeback24:15 How Steven Would Build GearJunkie in 202626:01 Why GearJunkie Survived When Other Blogs Died29:01 The Moment Entrepreneurship Became the Focus31:31 Advice for Journalists Going Independent32:30 Raising Five Kids While Building a Company35:34 Can Journalism Be Fixed?37:54 Bringing Outdoor Retailer to Minneapolis40:02 Life After GearJunkie41:49 What Founders Bring to Investing43:03 The Craziest Adventures and Finding a Kidney in Patagonia45:47 How COVID Changed the Outdoor Industry47:48 The Rise of Run Commuting49:22 Getting Started in Outdoor Adventure51:25 What Makes Minnesota's Outdoor Culture Unique54:31 Closing Thoughts

The Secret Science Behind Dairy Queen's Blizzards

How does Dairy Queen create new Blizzard flavors? Why do some menu items go viral while others never make it to stores? And could a Mango Sticky Rice Blizzard ever come to America?In this episode of the Twin Cities Business Show, we sit down with Jane Friedrich, Executive Vice President of Research & Development at Dairy Queen, to go inside one of Minnesota's most iconic brands.Jane is a food scientist with a Ph.D. in flavor chemistry and a former Cargill executive. In this episode, she explains the science behind creating new menu items, how consumer trends shape innovation, and why social media has become a powerful force in determining what ends up on the menu. Topics include: * 00:00 Introduction * 00:35 How New Blizzard Flavors Are Created * 02:15 How Many Flavor Ideas Does Dairy Queen Start With? * 03:13 The "Blizzard Freezer" and Bringing Back Fan Favorites * 05:03 Food Trends Shaping Dairy Queen's Future06:19 Why Dairy Queen Invests in Food Beyond Ice Cream * 07:31 The Science Behind a Perfect Chicken Strip and Blizzard * 09:13 Why the Oreo Blizzard Is Still No. 1 * 10:47 How GLP-1 Drugs Could Change the Food Industry * 11:13 Jane Friedrich's Journey from Cargill to Dairy Queen * 13:42 What It's Like Working at Berkshire Hathaway-Owned Dairy Queen * 15:01 How Franchisees Influence New Menu Items * 16:29 Cocoa Prices, Inflation, and Food Costs * 18:11 Products That Flopped—and Ones That Went Viral * 19:58 How Dairy Queen Monitors Social Media Trends * 20:45 The Science of Taste, Smell, and Flavor Chemistry * 22:45 Why Dairy Queen Creates Powerful Childhood Memories * 24:54 Why Dairy Queen Introduced the Mini Blizzard * 26:38 Where Dairy Queen Is Headed Next * 28:24 International Expansion and the Mango Sticky Rice Blizzard * 31:01 Why You Can't Build a Menu Based on Your Personal Favorites * 32:30 Closing ThoughtsIf you're interested in food innovation, consumer trends, branding, or the business behind iconic products, this conversation offers a rare look inside the R&D engine of Dairy Queen.

Kris Lindahl on Haters, Billboards, and Building a Huge Personal Brand

Kris Lindahl is one of the most recognizable business leaders in Minnesota. From his iconic billboard campaign to his Guaranteed Cash Offer program, he's built one of the largest real estate brands in the Midwest—and sparked plenty of conversation along the way.In this episode of the Twin Cities Business Show, Kris sits down with Twin Cities Business to discuss how he built his personal brand, why he's invested so heavily in marketing, and what he's learned from nearly two decades in real estate.They also dive into the future of the housing market, the rise of cash-offer programs, how his company manages a massive portfolio of homes, and why he believes affordability is the biggest challenge facing homebuyers today. Topics include:0:00 Intro: The Man Behind Minnesota's Biggest Billboard Campaign0:30 The One Billboard Kris Lindahl Would Never Give Up1:25 Why Kris Lindahl Made Himself the Brand3:14 Is There a Difference Between Kris Lindahl the Brand and the Person?4:31 Getting Comfortable Being Everywhere in Minnesota6:19 How Kris Lindahl Deals with Critics and Haters8:26 Advice for Building a Personal Brand in Public10:05 How Real Estate Agents Actually Make Money11:33 Why the Traditional Home Selling Process Is Broken17:57 How the Guaranteed Cash Offer Program Works18:17 Why Kris Lindahl Is Holding Thousands of Homes22:30 Managing Risk in a Changing Housing Market27:48 Why Home Affordability Is Minnesota's Biggest Housing Challenge31:51 Is America Headed for a Housing Correction?35:13 Why Keep Buying Homes if a Correction Is Coming?36:56 Inside Kris Lindahl's 35-Company Real Estate Empire39:12 Why He Is Looking at Acquisitions40:36 The Massive Marketing Budget Behind the Brand45:31 How Kris Lindahl Took the Leap and Bet on Himself46:46 "I Worked My Freaking Ass Off"48:08 The Truth About Building a Business From Scratch

170+ Franchises and Counting – Michele Henry and the FACE FOUNDRIÉ Story

From a single location in Edina's Galleria to more than 170 committed locations nationwide, FACE FOUNDRIÉ has become one of Minnesota's fastest-growing franchise success stories.In this episode of The Twin Cities Business Show, we sat down with FACE FOUNDRIÉ founder and CEO Michelle Henry to discuss how she built the company, why she chose franchising from day one, and how she has scaled the business while remaining debt-free and retaining 100% ownership.Michelle shares the surprising story of scrapping half of her original business model just 10 days after opening, the lessons she learned from her first company, Primp, and how FACE FOUNDRIÉ evaluates franchisees, maintains quality across dozens of markets, and uses AI to personalize skincare recommendations.She also also discusses:• How franchising really works• What makes a successful franchisee• Why FACE FOUNDRIÉ launched its own esthetician school• The economics behind a growing franchise system• Building a company without outside investors• The future of skincare, wellness, and AI• Leadership, entrepreneurship, and what it takes to be a founder Whether you're interested in franchising, entrepreneurship, retail growth, consumer brands, or Minnesota business success stories, this conversation offers an inside look at how a local concept became a national brand.

The AI Playbook Behind General Mills’ Digital Transformation

AI is going to transform every workplace, and that makes a lot of people afraid. At the first live taping of The Twin Cities Business Show, we asked Jaime Montemayor, the Chief Digital, Technology & Transformation Officer at General Mills, about this fear. No, he does not think AI is going to wipe out millions of jobs – but he thinks it will change them. It will change how businesses work, and the people that can use it to reinvent business processes will drive a lot of value in the months and years to come. He also believes that it will create new categories of jobs that don't yet exist. If you want to drive change at your organization with AI, you need to have a human in the loop. Jaime shared that at General Mills, there are processes that require more human touch than others, but the bigger the decision, the more critical it is to have someone making the final call. Their company has overhauled its tech stack and built an internal AI tool called MillsAI which contains a toolbox of approved, secured tools that their employees can use. Finally, he shared that cats are one of the biggest growth areas for General Mills. Cat ownership is growing faster than any other pet in the U.S., and Jaime shares how the company is capitalizing. They expanded from human food to pet food with the $8 billion purchase of Blue Buffalo in April 2018, and increased their footprint by buying Tiki Cat for $1.45 billion in late 2024.