Hot Takes Big Stakes Business
Hot Takes Big Stakes Business is a podcast about the real-world ups and downs of building a company, from napkin sketches to eight-figure raises. Hosts Natalie Holloway and Lana Elie, both serial founders, share unfiltered, honest conversations about what works, what doesn't, and what it really takes to grow something from nothing. Each week they sit down founder-to-founder, offering sharp insights and candid perspectives rarely heard in a boardroom. The tone is hype-free, jargon-free, and focused on practical lessons for entrepreneurs.
Episodes
She Dropped Out of Harvard to build a Sustainable Brand Surpassing $300M in Lifetime Sales | #41
Sarah Paiji Yoo, founder of BlueLand, shares how she went from Harvard and Wall Street to building a $400 million sustainable cleaning brand. She opens up about raising $35 million in venture capital, cutting $1 million per month in Meta ads, and choosing profitability over growth at all costs. This episode dives deep into product market fit, retail strategy, sustainability, and the mindset requir
Building a Yoga Studio Empire w/ Sarah of Y7 | #40
Sarah, founder of Y7 Studio, shares the real story behind building one of the most recognizable boutique yoga brands in the country. From starting as a scrappy pop-up in Brooklyn to scaling to 15 locations, raising private equity, and surviving 18 months with zero revenue during Covid, this episode dives into the highs, lows, and hard decisions behind the scenes. She opens up about leadership, cri
How MERIT Grew To $200M in Only Five Years | #39
MERIT Beauty grew from launch to over $200 million in sales in just five years, without a hero product, heavy discounting, or chasing marketing trends. In this episode, the CMO shares how they built a minimalist beauty brand for millennials and Gen X by rejecting industry playbooks and focusing on trust, pricing psychology, and diversified marketing. From launching during COVID to engineering risk
The Fundraising Playbook: Build FOMO & Close Fast | #38
Raising money is not just about a pitch deck, it is about psychology, momentum, and strategy. In this episode, we break down what really happens during a fundraising round, from shifting your mindset to building FOMO and closing with urgency. We share tactical advice on structuring your 90-day raise, managing investor energy, and positioning yourself as the opportunity, not the beggar. If you are
The Brand Turnaround Playbook & Other Marketing Tips | #37
Oli Walsh shares his journey from launching a fashion agency at 23 to scaling Aritzia from $250 million to $1 billion in revenue. He breaks down the real mechanics of brand turnarounds, including how Gap rebuilt cultural relevance through a full 360 transformation. This conversation dives into growth strategy, collaboration, leadership, and why most brands focus on the wrong things. If you want to
How a Life Coach Completely Changed My Life | #36
What does a life coach actually do, and how is it different from therapy or business coaching? In this episode, we break down the real-life impact of working with a life coach, from overcoming overwhelm to creating better systems at home and work. We share practical tools like time and energy audits, mantras, mindset shifts, and learning how to say no. If you are a founder, parent, or anyone feeli
How Perelel Became the Brand Every Woman Is Talking About in Prenatal and Hormone Health | #35
Alex Taylor shares the raw, unfiltered journey of building a women’s health company from scratch. From burnout and an autoimmune diagnosis to bootstrapping through a pandemic while pregnant, she reveals what it really takes to launch in a crowded category and raise $27 million. This episode dives into fundraising realities, subscription strategy, retail positioning, and the mindset required to win
How Much To Pay Yourself As A Founder, And Five Ways to Make Supplementary Income | #34
Founder compensation is one of the most asked and least discussed topics in startups. In this solo episode, I break down real 2025 salary data, what bootstrapped and VC backed founders actually pay themselves, and the formula I used at every stage of growth. I also share the uncomfortabletruth about the first three years and how to diversify your income without hurting your company. If you are bui
How a Linkedin DM led to the $400M sale of Beyond Yoya with Co-Founder Michelle Wahler | #33
Michelle Wahler built Beyond Yoga from the ground up with no outside funding and a mission rooted in body positivity and inclusivity. What started as a wholesale activewear brand grew steadily and profitably for 16 years before Levi’s acquired it for over $400 million. In this episode, she shares the full story, from early design days and financial setbacks to negotiating the deal and navigating l
The 10 Tools You Actually Need to Run a Business
There are thousands of tools out there promising to grow your business, but most of them will drain your budget and lock you into contracts you regret. In this episode, we break down the tools we actually use across finance, ecommerce, social media, and wholesale. We share lessons from overspending, signing long contracts, and cleaning up a bloated tech stack. If you are starting or scaling a busi
Clean, Cool, and Profitable: Scaling a Modern Skincare Brand w/ Allison Mcnamara of Mara Beauty | #31
Allison McNamara, founder and CEO of Mara Beauty, shares how she transitioned from entertainment host to building an award-winning clean skincare brand powered by algae. She breaks down landing Sephora, scaling without traditional VC funding, influencer marketing strategies that actually convert, and what sustainability really means in beauty. This episode is packed with tactical advice for founde
Things You WON’T Learn In Business School | #30
What are the real lessons you will never learn in business school? In this episode, we break down the unfiltered truths about building a brand, from mastering distribution and prioritizing repeat customers to embracing speed over perfection. We talk about how a founder’s role constantly evolves, why longevity beats hype, and what it really takes to survive the highs and lows of entrepreneurship. I
Blood Injections, Korean Skincare, and the Beauty Trends That Actually Work w/Vanessa Lee | #29
Vanessa Lee, founder of The Things We Do, shares what really works in modern aesthetics, and what needs to stop. From facial balancing and bio stimulators to Korean skincare innovation and private equity lessons, this conversation dives deep into beauty, business, and self confidence. Vanessa also opens up about her own surgeries, GLP-1 weight loss, and why natural enhancement always wins over tre
Demystifying Writing A Book & How to Sell it to a Publisher | #28
What does it actually take to write and publish a business book? In this episode, Natalie breaks down the full journey from idea to pitch to landing a publisher and preparing for launch. She shares how she structured the book, navigated the publishing process, handled preorders and marketing, and balanced writing with running a company and being a mom. If writing a book has ever felt overwhelming
How Beautyblender Revolutionized Makeup (and Built a Category) with Rea Ann Silva | #27
The Beautyblender is one of the most recognizable makeup tools in the world, but its origin story is rarely told. In this episode, founder Rianne Silva shares how she created the iconic pink sponge out of necessity while working on early HD television sets as a single mother. She breaks down the struggles, mistakes, knockoffs, and mindset that helped her build a category-defining brand while keepi
How to Raise Money and Not Give Away Any Equity With Natalie Holloway Of Bala | #26
Raising money without investors sounds impossible, but this episode breaks down exactly how it was done. From having only a few thousand dollars left to needing $40,000 for production, this is a real behind the scenes look at choosing Kickstarter over traditional funding. We talk through fear, strategy, and the practical decisions that made the launch work. If you are thinking about crowdfunding,
How Superordinary Cracked TikTok Shop w/ Julian Reis | #25
Julian Reis shares how he went from investment banking to building Skin Laundry into a global laser facial brand with 68 locations. He breaks down the early mistakes, pricing lessons, and why scaling too fast almost killed the business. Julian also reveals how Super Ordinary predicted the rise of social commerce years before TikTok Shop took off. This episode is packed with real founder lessons on
10 Habits That Quietly Compound Into Massive Success | #24
What actually separates successful founders from everyone else? In this episode, we break down 10 real habits that consistently show up in people who build lasting, high growth companies. From trusting your gut and validating early to learning when to say no and playing the long game, these lessons are practical, honest, and hard earned. If you are building a business or thinking about starting on
From Beauty Exec to Founder at 40, Amy Liu’s Tower 28 Playbook | #23
Amy Liu, founder and CEO of Tower 28, shares the raw, behind-the-scenes story of building a bestselling beauty brand from scratch. From raising money fast and breaking into Sephora to formulating sensitive-skin-safe products that actually work, Amy breaks down what it really takes to win in a crowded market. This episode dives into failure, brand, leadership, and balancing motherhood while scaling
The Truth About GLP-1s: What No One’s Talking About | #22
GLP-1 is everywhere, but most people do not actually understand what it is or how it works. In this episode, we break down the science behind GLP-1, how it affects appetite, metabolism, inflammation, and more, and why it is not just about weight loss. Becca, founder of Evolv, shares how she built a prescription-free oral GLP-1 alternative, the stigma around weight loss solutions, and what the futu
Couples Therapy Meets Shark Tank: Building An Iconic Fitness Brand | #21
Co-founders Max and Natalie Holloway share the real story behind Bala, from a napkin idea to a design- driven fitness brand with celebrity fans. They unpack their Shark Tank moment, the pandemicsurge from $2M to $16M, the inventory whiplash that followed, and the brutal reset from 30employees to just three. You will hear how they manage lenders, keep their marriage strong, andsplit product and mar
How Chillhouse Went from a Tiny NYC Nail Salon to a Cult Beauty Brand in Target and Walmart | #20
Founder Cyndi Ramirez breaks down how she turned Chillhouse from a small New York “third space” into a fast-growing nail brand now carried at Target and Walmart. She shares the early PR and partnership strategy, why franchising didn’t fit, and how press-on nail art became the breakout product during lockdown. Cyndi opens up about a costly Paris expansion, what it taught her about focus, and how sh
Our Biggest Mistakes Growing a Business to 10 Figures in Revenue (& What We’d Do Differently)| #19
Nat & Lana compare battle scars from growing to eight and nine figure revenue, then surviving the fallout. They break down fundraising runways, hiring too fast, firing too slow, founder FOMO, short term debt, and why focus wins. You will hear practical frameworks for repeat business, unit economics, delegation timing, IP protection, and geographic expansion. If you are building now, this is th
This Episode Will Change Your Life: The Founders of Branch Basics on Non-toxic Living | #18
Allison Evans and Kelly Love share the origin story of Branch Basics, the non-toxic cleaning brand built on education first. From a personal health crisis and a mentor’s hard-won wisdom, to shutting down a seven-figure business to reformulate transparently, they explain what “clean” should really mean. You will learn how everyday products can add to your body burden, what ingredients to avoid, and
How to Manifest Your Dream Life and Business | #17
Natalie and Lana swap their most woo-woo wellness practices and what actually helped. We cover the exact “detox bath” they use when they feel a cold coming on, a vision-board story that led to a real Walmart buyer call, and why co-sleeping won out after years of bedtime battles. We also get into supplements, sound baths, raw-milk debates, and managing anxiety with boundaries and mantras. If you wa
Loren of Sweet Lorens on Beating Cancer, $120M in Revenue and Building a Cookie Empire | #16
Founder Loren Castle shares how a health scare pushed her to reinvent the classic chocolate chip cookie with clean ingredients, then turn that recipe into Sweet Loren’s, a national brand. She breaks down the gritty early years, from farmers markets and a toaster oven in Whole Foods demos to scaling factories, packaging, and distribution. We dig into the allergen free pivot, whytaste still wins, pr
5 Things Every Founder Must Do Before Launch | #15
Before you build, pressure-test your idea the smart way. In this episode, we cover validating the problem, sizing the market, unit economics, stress-testing your time and finances, running a minimum-effort MVP, and checking competitors. You will hear practical tactics like using Reddit to find real pain, building a waitlist and pre-selling with Stripe, and plotting a quick competitor map. We wrap
Building A $100M Fem-Care Empire | #14
"15% off GetRael.comCode: HOTTAKES15Active starting 10/13 - 11/13"A former Disney strategist walks through her unexpected leap into entrepreneurship and the Amazon-first strategy that made her brand a bestseller. She breaks down how brokers, packaging, and buyer feedback helped land Target, why retail demands different marketing from digital, and how pimple patches became a bridge into skincare. W
How To Come Up with a Business Idea in 24 Hours + 5 Free Ideas | Episode 13
Everyone says passion matters, but is it required to launch a successful business? In this episode we debate passion versus action, share a simple system to spot ideas in your everyday life, and walk through a no-nonsense validation checklist. You will learn how to mine “boring” categories, read Amazon reviews for insights, stress-test market size, and draw the line between stealing and genuine di
The $300M Mindset: How Jason Built Therabody | #12
Dr. Jason shares how a devastating injury led him to hack together the first Theragun, then spend eight relentless years turning it into Therabody. He explains the science he discovered along the way, why 40Hz matters, and how early believers from the New England Patriots to Justin Timberlake helped the idea spread. We also get candid lessons from painful business missteps, a pandemic pivot, and a
How I Sold My Company Without the Experts & The Lessons Learned | #11
Lana the founder of Floom, a premium flower marketplace featured in Vogue, Forbes, and The New York Times, breaks down how she sold her company to a strategic buyer without a banker. We cover spotting the right time to sell, building a data room, running a buyer process, and handling LOI exclusivity risk. She shares the emotional side too, identity after the exit and why deals can fall through. If
From Away to Crown Affair, Building a $30M Haircare Brand ft Dianna Cohen | #10
Founder Diana Cohen shares how Crown Affair went from a viral haircare Google Doc to a nationwide Sephora brand. She walks through lessons from early roles at Away, Outdoor Voices and Harry’s, the Japanese rituals that shaped her formulas, and the Laura Mercier powder hack that inspired Crown Affair’s dry shampoo. Diana breaks down scalp versus strand health, why brushing matters, and her “raise a
Can You Be a Founder and a Mom? Here’s the Truth | #9
This episode is the honest look at building a business while breastfeeding, corralling toddlers, and cleaning up midnight messes, the kind of chaos that never makes the highlight reel. We talk about the Shark Tank bump, finding out we were pregnant, and how priorities shifted as the family grew.You will hear the rules that keep us sane, one night out per week and a no-meetings policy that protects
From Toilet Paper to $100M, The Story of Who Gives A Crap | # 8
Danny Alexander, co-founder and Chief Product and Purpose Officer of Who Gives A Crap, shares how a cheeky name, clever packaging, and an audacious mission turned a humble household product into a $100M brand. The team bootstrapped for nine years, then cracked growth by treating every touchpoint as marketing and by learning to land initiatives, not just launch them. Highlights include the infamous
How To Make Your First Million | #7
You never forget your First Million. On Hot Takes, Big Stakes, host Natalie Holloway, founder of Bala, and co-host Lana Elie, founder of Floom, are here to help you turn your time into real value. In today’s episode, Natalie directly interviews Lana about the process of making the first million dollars with her company, “Floom.” For both Natalie and Lana, their companies reached this milestone in
Pitching on Shark Tank and What It Takes to Land Mark Cuban & Maria Sharapova | #6
Let’s Talk About the Elephant in the Room… Shark Tank. On Hot Takes, Big Stakes, host Natalie Holloway, founder of Bala, and co-host Lana Elie, founder of Flume, are here to help you turn your time into real value. In today’s episode, Lana interviews Natalie about one of the most pivotal moments in her career with Bala: her appearance on Season 11 of Shark Tank. The pitch led to a major turning po
Lucas Lappe on Building Canopy: Why You Need a Humidifier, How To Land Sephora, and Lessons from Founder Therapy | #5
Lucas Lappe, co-founder of Canopy and Doris Dev, joins Hot Takes, Big Stakes to share how he built a successful wellness brand from the ground up without raising venture capital. From launching his first absurd product (a hot glue gun for string cheese) to designing mold-resistant humidifiers now sold at Sephora, Lucas explains what it really takes to launch and scale a physical product. This epis
How to Start a Business in 2025 | #4
Starting a business? Expect uncertainty and scrappy decisions. In this Hot Takes, Big Stakes deep dive, co-founders and hosts Natalie Holloway and Lana Elie break down the real behind-the-scenes of launching a brand. From bad product ideas and co-founder debates to raising capital, faking it with factories, and why launching to crickets still taught them everything. No fluff, just the stuff we wis
Building a 6M Following (and a Period Empire) with Nadya Okamoto of August | #3
How do you build a period care brand that’s unapologetically bold, digitally native, and actually different? On this week’s episode of Hot Takes, Big Stakes, Lana Elie sits down with Nadya Okamoto—activist, author, and co-founder of August—to unpack exactly how she turned a mission into a movement (and a movement into a business). With over 6 million followers and major shelf space in Target and W
From Pitch Deck to $10M: Lana's tried and tested Fundraising Formula | #2
What are you investing in? Time is your most valuable resource. On Hot Takes, Big Stakes, host Natalie Holloway, founder of Bala, and co-host Lana Elie, founder of Floom, are here to help you turn that time into real value. After speaking with founders across a wide range of industries, one thing became clear: we’re all getting asked the same questions. So we decided to create a space where we cou
How Our Place Did $5M in 1 Day w/ Co-Founder Zach Rosner | #1
Who are you investing in? On Hot Takes, Big Stakes, host Natalie Holloway, founder of Bala, and co-host Lana Elie, founder of Floom, are here to help you turn your time into real value. In today’s episode, Natalie and Lana sit down with Zach Rosner, co-founder of Our Place, a nine figure business with a team of over 100 and more than 90 million dollars raised to date. Before building Our Place, Za
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