Starting Small

Starting Small is a founder-led interview series about how companies are built before they look obvious. The structure is steady and familiar. Each conversation usually begins with the guest's upbringing, then moves into the problem, product, launch, and growth story. That rhythm gives the show a case-study feel, especially for listeners who want to understand how consumer brands move from instinct to execution. Recent episodes cover Shahab Elmi of Symbiotica, Sandra Powers-Murphy of Scarlet Chase, Mary Hagan of Colossal, Julian of Magic Tea, David Thurston of Danger Jones, Dave Munson of Saddleback Leather, Emily of Minidip, and J.W. Wiseman of Curious Elixirs. The range is broad, but the questions keep returning to the same useful ground. What was missing in the market? How did the first version get made? Who helped with the technical work? How did the brand earn attention? What changed when early demand arrived? The show is especially attentive to physical products, from liposomal supplements and orthopedic-level high heels to reusable balloon garlands, leather bags, hair color, and blue-brewing tea. It also spends real time on channels: Shopify, Amazon, retail accounts, trade shows, distributors, and social media communities. The tone is optimistic but grounded. Guests often describe momentum, but they also talk about slow research, difficult manufacturing, rejection, bootstrapping, and the long patience required to make a product credible. Starting Small is not a tactics-only business show, and it is not a celebrity-founder victory lap. Its value comes from hearing founders connect personal history, product obsession, market timing, and practical decisions in one continuous story. The result suits people who like business biography with operational detail. It is particularly useful for early entrepreneurs, consumer-brand builders, and anyone studying how an ordinary annoyance can become a company when someone keeps asking the next concrete question.