July 2, 2026
Open tabs: Pickle juice as a personality, Curry's homegrown Jordan Brand, and Instacart's middleman aisle
The trends, reads, and one founder story worth your lunch break.
Listen to the episode Episodes
Every mess, on the record.
The full catalog, newest first. Each episode links out to the platform of your choosing — Substack, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts.
June 25, 2026
Open tabs: Crumbl's category expansion, Faire's new business model, a very sexy exit for an unsexy brand & more
The trends, reads, and one founder story worth your lunch break.
Listen to the episode June 18, 2026
A pepper jack protein bar + the case for hair anti-aging
The trends, reads, and one founder story worth your lunch break.
Listen to the episode June 11, 2026
You can’t automate a number you don’t trust
Everyone in commerce is selling AI right now. Almost nobody wants to talk about the spreadsheet named FINAL_v3. But can we?
Listen to the episode May 22, 2026
Being sold out isn't a win, it's a systems problem. Your fridge can explain why.
The fridge metaphor extends further than you'd like. So does the cost of getting it wrong.
Listen to the episode May 8, 2026
Road & Factory Bingo, a Field Report
Or: What happens when a CEO spends too long in rental cars.
Listen to the episode April 27, 2026
The Supply Chain Cal + Trade Show Cal every operator's been asking me for
Free, public, always-updating. Add them once, plan around them forever.
Listen to the episode April 11, 2026
Your Shopify store is not your business
And Brian's spreadsheet works great, until it doesn't
Listen to the episode December 9, 2025
How to avoid "where's my package?" this holiday season...
Carrier cutoff dates for 2025 holiday shipping!
Listen to the episode December 8, 2025
Consumer Brand & Trade Show Calendar
Your year-round map of the trade shows, floorsets, and commercial moments that actually run this industry.
Listen to the episode December 8, 2025
Global Supply Chain Calendar
A unified, year-round calendar for brands, operators, and supply-chain teams navigating worldwide production cycles, freight capacity swings, and channel-specific inbound requirements.
Listen to the episode November 25, 2025
Please please please don’t fall for the holiday launch trap… ever again.
My holiday wish for you, my dearest first-time founders, is just to love yourself a little and don’t make a holiday launch the make-or-break for your brand new brand.
Listen to the episode September 24, 2025
The Questions That Keep CPG Founders Up at Night (Answered in 90 Minutes)
I've been getting these exact questions for years—from first-time founders launching their first SKU to operators scaling 8-figure exits. The problems are consistent…but so are the solutions! 💡
Listen to the episode August 27, 2025
Stop getting played by manufacturers 🚩(here's how)
Contract manufacturing is chaos... here's how you calm the chaos.
Listen to the episode August 21, 2025
The $2M revenue plateau (and why your data is lying to you)
When you can't see what's actually working, you end up making decisions in the dark.
Listen to the episode August 13, 2025
4 big mistakes first-time brand founders make in their first 90 days
The mistakes I made founding, growing, and scaling companies like GIR, Voltaire, and Mvnifest—and the ones I see consumer founders make now that I’m in the investor seat.
Listen to the episode August 6, 2025
The 6 Substacks to subscribe to if you want to build in consumer.
Want to scale a consumer brand? Contrarian take: there’s never been a better time to get scrappy and do it with less people.
Listen to the episode July 30, 2025
Always open: the tabs that help me run a bunch of businesses…
AI prompts, YouTube videos on storytelling, and way too many emails.
Listen to the episode July 23, 2025
Building process like a pro: 4 lessons from ARMRA's VP of Process
What every omnichannel brand founder should know about scaling operations without losing their mind.
Listen to the episode July 16, 2025
Commerce catch up: selling for $700M, growing from a "do-er" to a "lead-er", and more.
ICYMI, last week Sam shared a big update— including a handsome new look for this newsletter and her podcast, now both called Commerce is Chaos. (A fitting name for the consumer roller coaster ride!)
Listen to the episode