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Artwork for Tardigrades, not unicorns

Tardigrades, not unicorns

Elliot Begoun
Simply
Somos Foods
The Good Crisp Company
Inner Game
Leadership
Quinoa
Iqbar
Bobo's
Energy Management
Regenerative Organic Certification
Food Policy
Rind

From Start Up to Scale. Bringing together the Natural Product industry's founders, experts, buyers, and legends, we discuss how to build Tardigrades, not Unicorns, nimble, capital-efficient, resilient brands that scale.

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes146Founded6 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
BusinessEntrepreneurship

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Artwork for Tardigrades, not unicorns

Latest Episodes

In this episode of Tardigrades, Not Unicorns, Elliot sits down with Laurel Orley, Chief Crunch Officer and co-founder of Daily Crunch Snacks, to talk about what it really takes to build a durable business — not a unicorn.

Laurel shares the origin st... more

Bobo's CEO TJ McIntyre joins the show to unpack how a self-manufactured, Colorado-based baked goods company grew from $7.5M to over $100M in revenue over the past decade — without formulating to macros or chasing fads.

TJ shares why Bobo's bets ever... more

In this episode of Tardigrades, Not Unicorns, Elliot sits down with longtime friend Matt Weiss, founder and CEO of Rind, the better-for-you snacking brand built on whole-fruit nutrition. Matt shares his journey from 19 years as a Wall Street research... more

In this episode, Elliot Bisnow sits down with Miguel Leal, co-founder and CEO of Somos Foods — a better-for-you Mexican food brand now in 9,000+ U.S. stores. Miguel shares what it really takes to build from zero when you've spent a career scaling est... more

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Recent Guests

Laurel Orley
Co-founder and Crunch Executive Officer of Daily Crunch Snacks
Daily Crunch Snacks
Episode: Laurel Orley on Nice vs. Kind, Radical Focus, and Scaling Daily Crunch Snacks
TJ McIntyre
CEO of Bobo's
Bobo's
Episode: Radical Focus: How Bobo's Built a $100M Business Without Chasing Trends
Matt Weiss
Founder and CEO of Rind
Rind
Episode: Building Optionality, Not Just an Exit with Matt Weiss
Miguel Leal
Co-founder and CEO of Somos Foods
Somos Foods
Episode: The Messy Middle: How Miguel Leal Built Somos Foods on Repeat Rates, Margins, and Radical Resilience
Jorge Azevedo
CEO of Fermented Food Holdings
Fermented Food Holdings
Episode: Building a Durable Fermented Foods Empire with Jorge Azevedo of Fermented Food Holdings
Will Nitze
CEO of IQBAR, brain and body nutrition entrepreneur
IQBAR
Episode: You Are Your Own Best Mentor: Will Nitze of IQBAR on Building a Durable Brand in an Un-durable World
Matthew Cohen
Co-founder of Simply
Simply
Episode: Building SIMPLi: Family, Mission, and Regenerative Food
Dr. Mark Atkinson
Medical doctor turned human potential teacher and leadership development coach
Self-employed / Leadership Coach
Episode: The CEO's Inner Work: Energy, Mind, and the Path to Creative Leadership with Dr. Mark Atkinson
Wayne Wu
Industry veteran and investor
VMG Partners
Episode: 18 Years, 20 Brands: Wayne Wu on What Actually Builds Enduring Companies

Host

Elliot Began
Host of the podcast, focused on helping natural product founders build durable, capital-efficient brands

Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars from 23 ratings
  • Someone Who Really Cares - LISTEN & LEARN

    Elliot is a master in the CPG space and shows how much he really cares about founders' success with each breath. He is kind, smart and gives so many pearls of wisdom! I have subscribed and each episode carries the same weight. SO impressed.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    knowerofthings
    United States3 years ago
  • Insightful

    Nothing like first hand information from people that are living right now growing a brand!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    fejidjfncuenuujf
    United States4 years ago
  • TIG Talks

    Elliott is a great host always ready to provide context - TIG Talks is a mine of information and an opportunity to join a community for Natural Food entrepreneurs

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    X0170
    United States5 years ago
  • Every Emerging Brand

    This podcast is an honest, clear sharing of information that every emerging brand, regardless of size, needs to hear.

    And Elliot’s trademark humor and presence ties it all together so well...may lead to binge-listening!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Jhow1
    United States6 years ago
  • By far the best food/bev podcast out there

    If you’re an early stage natural food/bev company, this is the podcast for you. What makes it so different is it’s targeted directly at early stage companies, unlike others that talk to founders once they’ve become successful. Elliot prides himself in providing actionable information, and this is where the podcast shines. Lots of specific and timely information about how to work through myriad early stage issues. The only drawback is that older podcasts aren’t yet available.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Tyrdg
    United States6 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Community-focused and consistently valuable for natural food entrepreneurs seeking practical guidance.
Content offers first-hand, actionable insights from current growth-stage brands.
Host shows deep expertise in the CPG space and genuinely cares about founder success.
Honest, clear information for emerging brands with entertaining, human storytelling.

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Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Building Optionality, Not Just an Exit with Matt Weiss
Q: What guided your shift toward vertical integration and building Keep It Real Foods as a platform?
A mix of private label opportunities, network effects, and a belief in creating durable, multi-facility capabilities that could deliver margin stability and strategic partnerships rather than just serving as a traditional co-packer.
Building Optionality, Not Just an Exit with Matt Weiss
Q: How did you decide to pursue this path and take the leap from a traditional career to building Rind?
A mentor framed the risk as staying safe being the riskier option, which gave Matt confidence to pursue entrepreneurship and leverage encouragement from someone he trusted.
Laurel Orley on Nice vs. Kind, Radical Focus, and Scaling Daily Crunch Snacks
Q: What are the core focuses you keep in front of the team to scale, given the complexity and opportunities?
Elliot prompts Laurel to discuss radical focus and how she keeps the business simple with a clear North Star and seven KPI rocks per quarter, while sunsetting unproductive retailers and prioritizing what works, supported by quarterly offsites and a strong management cadence.
Laurel Orley on Nice vs. Kind, Radical Focus, and Scaling Daily Crunch Snacks
Q: Spend a minute there explaining a little bit about the origin story with you and your aunt.
Laurel explains that Daily Crunch Snacks started from her move to Nashville with her husband's industry background and her aunt Diane's sprouted-nut concept, culminating in a first-hand collaboration that combined her Unilever experience with her aunt's brain-health-focused sprouting methods and a four-year patent process. She emphasizes the role of family collaboration and a shared belief that led to launching during the pandemic and growing to thousands of doors.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About Tardigrades, not unicorns

What is Tardigrades, not unicorns about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This show concentrates on building nimble, capital-efficient consumer product brands in the natural foods space. Episodes center on founder journeys, scalable operating playbooks, leadership development, energy management, and disciplined go-to-market strategies, with a recurring emphasis on staying lean, prioritizing core principles, and maintaining optionality through external shocks. Guests range from bootstrapped founders to investors and operators, offering practical lessons on margins, growth discipline, culture, and mission-driven business models that endure beyond quick wins. A standout pattern is a strong focus on personal development and inner leadership as a driver of durable company performance, alongside concrete tactics for na... more

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Which podcasts are similar to Tardigrades, not unicorns?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Tardigrades, not unicorns:

1. Shelf Help: The Tactical CPG Podcast
2. The Startup CPG Podcast
3. Operators
4. The Daily
5. Hard Fork

How many episodes of Tardigrades, not unicorns are there?

Tardigrades, not unicorns launched 6 years ago and published 146 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on Tardigrades, not unicorns?

Recent guests on Tardigrades, not unicorns include:

1. Laurel Orley
2. TJ McIntyre
3. Matt Weiss
4. Miguel Leal
5. Jorge Azevedo
6. Will Nitze
7. Matthew Cohen
8. Dr. Mark Atkinson

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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