Kettle & Fire

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EPISODE 7

JUSTIN MARES | KETTLE & FIRE


Check out Kettle & Fire at kettleandfire.com (use promo code ‘TheFounder’ for 15% off) or on Instagram // Twitter // Facebook.

Check out Perfect Keto at perfectketo.com or on Instagram // Twitter // Facebook.

Follow Justin (@justin.mares) on Instagram // Twitter // LinkedIn // Personal Website // Newsletter.

Check out Justin’s book Traction.

Check out Justin’s recommendations for books, podcasts and social inspiration HERE.

Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Twitter // Instagram // LinkedIn // Newsletter

Don’t have time for the full episode? Read our email recap HERE.

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Justin Mares is the Co-Founder of Kettle & Fire.

After getting his start launching Roommate Fit, an eharmony type service that matched college roommates based on personality to prevent the classic “crazy random roommate” problem, Justin spent a few years in growth and marketing roles before launching Kettle & Fire in 2015. Along the way he wrote a book called Traction, launched a couple of online courses on growth hacking, acquired a couple of Shopify app based businesses and co-founded a second company, Perfect Keto, in 2017.

At Kettle & Fire, Justin and his team are building and scaling the fastest growing bone broth brand in the US. Today, they have over 30 employees and sell a range of products across bone broths and soups. At Perfect Keto, he and his team have built a collection of food and supplements to serve as a launch pad for people going keto. The mission across both companies is simple, to produce and sell products that make people healthier.

This was an inspiring interview that got me excited about changing the narrative around healthy consumption and food trends in the US.

 Tune in to hear Justin's story and leave a review!

EPISODE TOPICS: 

  • (2:31) What do Kettle & Fire and Perfect Keto look like today (mission, vision, products, size)? 

  • (4:09) What is your background and what were you working on before starting Kettle & Fire? 

  • (11:34) Where did the spark for the idea for Kettle & Fire come from? 

  • (16:29) Did you keep the idea secret early on? 

  • (19:37) How did you make the first prototype for Kettle & Fire? 

  • (22:19) What is bone broth and how do you make it? 

  • (25:07) What marketing tactics have worked for you?

  • (29:29) How do you think about competition?

  • (32:49) What is your approach to fundraising for both businesses?

  • (38:08) What characteristics do you look for when hiring?

  • (43:58) What do you think Kettle & Fire looks like in 5-10 years?

  • (45:19) What's the best piece of advice you got from a mentor?

  • (47:14) What has been your most frustrating moment as a founder?

  • (48:32) What gives you your executional edge?

  • (50:03) What emerging trends excite you?

  • (57:27) What resources would recommend to others? 

  • (1:00:22) Justin's startup manifesto 

  • (1:04:03) Justin's founder nomination 

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