Minutes With Mike

Why Your Brand Is Not Ready for Retail with Amy Kapolnek

Do not rush into retail. Amy Kapolnek has said it to 112 brands across 24 countries, and she has seen what a million-dollar PO does to a brand that isn't ready. She joins Mike for a candid conversation about channel strategy, the fractional executive model, and why she thinks clinical results are about to flush the vibe brands out of beauty. Connect with Amy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amykapolnek/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/amykapolnek/] Connect with Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pimsmikeryan/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/pimsmikeryan/]

How to Know If TikTok Shop Is Right for Your Brand with Pete D

Social commerce only works when brands treat TikTok Shop as infrastructure, not a campaign. Pete D learned that inside TikTok, and now runs his own TikTok Shop agency. He joins Mike for a candid conversation about why discovery on the feed and the sale in the store are the same journey, how to tell if TikTok Shop is even right for your brand, and what really separates affiliate creators from influencers. Connect with Pete: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pete-dick/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/pete-dick/] Connect with Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pimsmikeryan/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/pimsmikeryan/]

Why "Just Hire More Creators" Is the Wrong Brand Move with Aja Dang

After a decade as a creator. Aja Dang has thoughts on where brand-creator relationships go next: brands become the creator. She joins Mike for a candid conversation about her own pivot era, the AI brand deals she walks away from on principle, and what changes when a brand decides to build its own creator function in-house. Connect with Aja: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajadang/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajadang/] Connect with Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pimsmikeryan/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/pimsmikeryan/]

Why an Unboxing Experience Is a Story, Not a Box with Maria Karr

Maria Karr says the unboxing experience is a story, not a box. After two decades across agency, in-house, bootstrap, and incubator seats, she has built brands at every scale. She joins Mike for a candid conversation about why brand affinity comes before paid creator deals, how "cheap, fast, or quality, pick two" still drives 99% of project decisions, and what Maesa learned building AI-generated worlds for its fragrance brand Finery. Connect with Maria: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-karr-05a80a31/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-karr-05a80a31/] Connect with Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pimsmikeryan/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/pimsmikeryan/]

What Goldie Locks Took Out to Stand Out with Devin Graciano

Devin Graciano took protein out of professional haircare and built Goldie Locks around what she saw from the chair. She joins Mike for a candid conversation about going back to school for chemistry as a working stylist, how her partnership with McKenzie Turley actually works, and how a bootstrapped team thinks about influencer PR boxes when the budget isn't $50 million. Connect with Devin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devin-graciano-04098824/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/devin-graciano-04098824/] Connect with Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pimsmikeryan/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/pimsmikeryan/]