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Hot Takes Big Stakes
Natalie Holloway and Lana Elie
18 episodes
5 days ago
The real-world highs and lows of building a business—from early ideas scribbled on napkins to multimillion-dollar raises and the pivotal moments in between. Hosted by serial founders Natalie Holloway (Bala) and Lana Elie (Floom). We explore the unfiltered truths most founders are too polished (or too cautious) to say out loud. No hype, no jargon—just honest conversations about what actually works, what doesn’t, and what it really takes to grow something from nothing. Each week, Natalie and Lana sit down founder-to-founder to share sharp insights, fresh perspectives, and the kind of candor you rarely hear in the boardroom. Build your dream. Burn the playbook.
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Entrepreneurship
Business
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All content for Hot Takes Big Stakes is the property of Natalie Holloway and Lana Elie and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
The real-world highs and lows of building a business—from early ideas scribbled on napkins to multimillion-dollar raises and the pivotal moments in between. Hosted by serial founders Natalie Holloway (Bala) and Lana Elie (Floom). We explore the unfiltered truths most founders are too polished (or too cautious) to say out loud. No hype, no jargon—just honest conversations about what actually works, what doesn’t, and what it really takes to grow something from nothing. Each week, Natalie and Lana sit down founder-to-founder to share sharp insights, fresh perspectives, and the kind of candor you rarely hear in the boardroom. Build your dream. Burn the playbook.
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Entrepreneurship
Business
Episodes (18/18)
Hot Takes Big Stakes
How to Manifest Your Dream Life and Business | #16

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 want practical takeaways from crystals to ClassPass, this one is packed.


More Hot Takes Big StakesInstagram: www.instagram.com/hottakesbigstakes/TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@hottakesbigstakes/More on Natalie Holloway:Personal Instagram: www.instagram.com/natalieholloway/“Bala” Instagram: www.instagram.com/bala/“Balacize” Instagram: www.instagram.com/balacize/Substack,“Working Out in Heels”: natalieholloway.substack.comBook a 1-on-1 Call: intro.co/NatalieHollowayMore on Lana Elie-Meyers:Personal Instagram: www.instagram.com/lanaelie/LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lana-elie-875b383a/


00:00 Cold open, why we love “woo” in LA 
00:43 The detox bath we use when we feel sick 
01:51 Tapping, not getting sick, and potato bracelets 
04:08 Vision boards that led to real results 
05:13 Walmart buyer call after daily journaling 
07:26 Where we’re woo in life vs business 
08:25 Breastfeeding stance and early newborn choices 
09:59 Homeopathy and the kid-vitamin routine 
11:07 Sound baths, gongs, and crystals for kids 
12:27 Mornings without the phone, sanity restored 
15:43 Flight-or-fight, anxiety, and boundaries 
17:05 Supplement philosophy, fragrance-free home 
19:43 Beef organs, creatine, and feeling toned 
21:12 Raw milk hot take and why 
22:34 Moderation with kids and real life 
23:01 Why we chose co-sleeping and how it works 
26:02 Tarot, psychics, and a near-acquisition call 
28:51 Starter kit: bath, journaling, sound baths 
29:57 Water, filters, and glass debate 
31:09 Cotton over synthetics, especially for kids and workouts 
34:15 Mantras for time and calm, final hot takes

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1 week ago
33 minutes 14 seconds

Hot Takes Big Stakes
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, pricing and margins, and the leadership moves that unlocked profitable growth. If you are building in CPG, this is a masterclass on product market fit, retail, and team.More Hot Takes Big StakesInstagram: www.instagram.com/hottakesbigstakes/TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@hottakesbigstakes/More on Loren Castle Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lorenbcastleLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/loren-brill-castle/Website: https://sweetlorens.com/More on Natalie Holloway:Personal Instagram: www.instagram.com/natalieholloway/“Bala” Instagram: www.instagram.com/bala/“Balacize” Instagram: www.instagram.com/balacize/Substack,“Working Out in Heels”: natalieholloway.substack.comBook a 1-on-1 Call: intro.co/NatalieHollowayMore on Lana Elie-Meyers:Personal Instagram: www.instagram.com/lanaelie/LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lana-elie-875b383a/



00:00 Intro, why this story matters
00:40 The diagnosis, mindset shift to health and food
03:18 Learning nutrition, cooking, fixing the cookie
05:07 Iterating hundreds of batches, real feedback
07:50 Quitting the job, contests and early validation
09:26 Farmers market tests, writing the business plan
10:19 Bakery vs CPG, choosing scale and freedom
11:34 Whole Foods buyer meeting, picking cookie dough
14:01 The seven month sprint to launch
15:17 Toaster oven demos, winning customers in store
19:09 Trade shows and factory upgrades to scale
20:37 Publix and Kroger wins, going nationwide
21:23 Customer messages point to allergens
22:24 Allergen free launch, instant top seller
23:43 Packaging, taste first, callouts second
25:03 Selling into different retailers, moms as gatekeepers
27:43 Less sugar line, listening to data and demand
31:27 Pricing, margins, and competing on quality
32:57 From solo grind to profitable, lean team
35:27 Remote systems, hiring only rock stars
36:28 Covid bump, brand awareness and new packaging
38:24 Hiring a president, unlocking founder leverage
40:17 Staying in vision and growth, avoiding burnout
45:00 Final playbook, how to build a lasting food brand

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2 weeks ago
50 minutes 7 seconds

Hot Takes Big Stakes
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 with two hot takes, be naive enough to start, and plan enough to execute.


More Hot Takes Big StakesInstagram: www.instagram.com/hottakesbigstakes/TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@hottakesbigstakes/More on Natalie Holloway:Personal Instagram: www.instagram.com/natalieholloway/“Bala” Instagram: www.instagram.com/bala/“Balacize” Instagram: www.instagram.com/balacize/Substack,“Working Out in Heels”: natalieholloway.substack.comBook a 1-on-1 Call: intro.co/NatalieHollowayMore on Lana Elie-Meyers:Personal Instagram: www.instagram.com/lanaelie/LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lana-elie-875b383a/


00:00 Intro, why this matters for new founders


00:32 Tip 1, Validate the problem, not the idea


01:16 Signals that the problem is real, emotion and willingness to pay


02:48 Tip 2, Size the market, top-down vs bottoms-up


04:26 Unit economics sense check and payback logic


05:26 Tip 3, Stress-test your time and finances


07:18 Support systems, partners, housing, and tradeoffs 


08:22 Tip 4, Run a minimum-effort test, landing page and list 
09:23 Pre-selling with Stripe, early prototypes, and social proof 
11:18 Start socials early and build with your audience 


12:15 Tip 5, Pressure-check the competition and find your moat 
14:44 Hot takes, be naive enough to start vs plan enough to execute 


15:36 Closing thoughts and next steps

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3 weeks ago
17 minutes 48 seconds

Hot Takes Big Stakes
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. We also cover raising $17.5M Series A and $35M Series B, building a US-Korea product engine, and the mindset shift to scale past $100M.More Hot Takes Big StakesInstagram: www.instagram.com/hottakesbigstakes/TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@hottakesbigstakes/More on Yanghee PaikInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/get_rael/Website: https://www.getrael.comMore on Natalie Holloway:Personal Instagram: www.instagram.com/natalieholloway/“Bala” Instagram: www.instagram.com/bala/“Balacize” Instagram: www.instagram.com/balacize/Substack,“Working Out in Heels”: natalieholloway.substack.comBook a 1-on-1 Call: intro.co/NatalieHollowayMore on Lana Elie-Meyers:Personal Instagram: www.instagram.com/lanaelie/LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lana-elie-875b383a/
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1 month ago
54 minutes 52 seconds

Hot Takes Big Stakes
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 differentiation. We wrap with real idea starters you can take and run with today.


More Hot Takes Big StakesInstagram: www.instagram.com/hottakesbigstakes/TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@hottakesbigstakes/More on Natalie Holloway:Personal Instagram: www.instagram.com/natalieholloway/“Bala” Instagram: www.instagram.com/bala/“Balacize” Instagram: www.instagram.com/balacize/Substack,“Working Out in Heels”: natalieholloway.substack.comBook a 1-on-1 Call: intro.co/NatalieHollowayMore on Lana Elie-Meyers:Personal Instagram: www.instagram.com/lanaelie/LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lana-elie-875b383a/



00:00 Intro and the passion myth
00:36 The debate begins: passion vs. action
01:37 “If you are waiting for passion, you will never start”
03:28 Want to work for yourself, but no idea yet
04:51 Mine daily frustrations for ideas
05:53 The CVS walk and Amazon review audit
07:44 Where to look for under-innovated categories
10:59 Why working at a startup accelerates you
12:01 Copying, inspiration, and brand differentiation
15:16 How to validate: sit with it, talk to honest friends
16:27 Market size math and right-sized ambitions
20:18 Action over waiting, getting out of your own way
22:34 Rapid-fire idea starters
31:36 Wrap and call to action


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1 month ago
32 minutes 38 seconds

Hot Takes Big Stakes
How a Motorcycle Crash, a Jigsaw and Justin Timberlake Built Therabody to $300M | #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 rebrand that brought recovery tools home. If you’re building, healing, or both, this story is loaded with takeaways.More Hot Takes Big StakesInstagram: www.instagram.com/hottakesbigstakes/TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@hottakesbigstakes/More on Dr. Jason WestlandInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/drjasonwerslandLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-jason-wersland-0116846a/Website: https://www.therabody.comMore on Natalie Holloway:Personal Instagram: www.instagram.com/natalieholloway/“Bala” Instagram: www.instagram.com/bala/“Balacize” Instagram: www.instagram.com/balacize/Substack,“Working Out in Heels”: natalieholloway.substack.comBook a 1-on-1 Call: intro.co/NatalieHollowayMore on Lana Elie-Meyers:Personal Instagram: www.instagram.com/lanaelie/LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lana-elie-875b383a/

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1 month ago
1 hour 1 minute 3 seconds

Hot Takes Big Stakes
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 you are considering selling, this conversation is a practical roadmap and a reality check.


More Hot Takes Big Stakes

Instagram: www.instagram.com/hottakesbigstakes/

TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@hottakesbigstakes/



More on Natalie Holloway:


Personal Instagram: www.instagram.com/natalieholloway/

“Bala” Instagram: www.instagram.com/bala/

“Balacize” Instagram: www.instagram.com/balacize/

Substack,

“Working Out in Heels”: natalieholloway.substack.com

Book a 1-on-1 Call: intro.co/NatalieHolloway


More on Lana Elie-Meyers:


Personal Instagram: www.instagram.com/lanaelie/

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lana-elie-875b383a/



00:00 Intro, who is Lana and what is Floom

01:09 Deciding it was time to sell, reading the signals

04:30 Burnout vs. timing, why she aimed for profitability first

07:00 What M&A advisors do, why she went solo

08:56 Building the data room, financials, legal, and IP proof

12:15 Finding buyers, using LinkedIn and a short strategic list

14:54 When deals fall through, managing the emotional crash

16:11 Should you sell before you hate it, practical advice

18:33 Identity after an exit, grief, journaling, and reset

22:00 Life design, profitability, and alternatives to venture scale

24:27 LOI exclusivity risks, spotting unserious buyers

26:59 Deal structures 101, lessons she wishes she knew earlier

28:07 When to sell, hot vs. right-for-you timing

29:57 After the handoff, how closely to watch the brand

30:47 Hot take, does a company need to be your identity

31:26 Time off between companies, sprint or sabbatical

33:08 Does selling give you clout, second-time founder advantages

34:28 Wrap up, subscribe and comment

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1 month ago
34 minutes 50 seconds

Hot Takes Big Stakes
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 as you go” approach that led to sustained, profitable growth. If you care about brand, product and calm, durable company building, this one is packed with takeaways.Hot Takes Big Stakes listerner get to enjoy 15% off their purchase at https://www.crownaffair.com using code HTBS15.More Hot Takes Big StakesInstagram: www.instagram.com/hottakesbigstakes/TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@hottakesbigstakes/More on DiannaInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/diannacohenLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/diannacohenWebsite: https://www.crownaffair.comMore on Natalie Holloway:Personal Instagram: www.instagram.com/natalieholloway/“Bala” Instagram: www.instagram.com/bala/“Balacize” Instagram: www.instagram.com/balacize/Substack,“Working Out in Heels”: natalieholloway.substack.comBook a 1-on-1 Call: intro.co/NatalieHollowayMore on Lana Elie-Meyers:Personal Instagram: www.instagram.com/lanaelie/LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lana-elie-875b383a/


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1 month ago
1 hour 3 minutes 47 seconds

Hot Takes Big Stakes
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 deep work and bedtime.We cover real help, from full-time family support to outsourcing errands, flexible schedules for working parents, founder maternity leave during nap windows, and giving yourself permission to let a few things slip.More Hot Takes Big StakesInstagram: www.instagram.com/hottakesbigstakes/TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@hottakesbigstakes/More on Natalie Holloway:Personal Instagram: www.instagram.com/natalieholloway/“Bala” Instagram: www.instagram.com/bala/“Balacize” Instagram: www.instagram.com/balacize/Substack,“Working Out in Heels”: natalieholloway.substack.comBook a 1-on-1 Call: intro.co/NatalieHollowayMore on Lana Elie-Meyers:Personal Instagram: www.instagram.com/lanaelie/LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lana-elie-875b383a/


00:00 Cold open, what real chaos looks like
00:48 Mom first, company second
02:00 Shark Tank growth and a surprise pregnancy
02:50 Rules and tools that keep motherhood first
04:45 The night from hell, still doable
06:10 Why help matters, full-time family support and outsourcing
08:00 Designing flexible schedules for working parents
10:10 Time-saving rules, one night out per week
11:20 The no-meetings policy that protects deep work
12:50 When meetings are necessary, compress to 30 minutes
14:20 Identity shifts and the rise of mom anxiety
17:30 How we handled maternity leave as founders
20:15 Give yourself grace, some things will slip
24:20 Postpartum must-haves and hydration habits
26:14 Wrap up and call to action

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2 months ago
26 minutes 35 seconds

Hot Takes Big Stakes
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 51-hour toilet livestream that powered their IndieGoGo debut, and why donating 50% of profits builds real retention and trust. Danny also breaks down the pivot from a multilingual EU push to a focused Canada relaunch and how DTC plus selective retail keeps the brand experience tight.

 

More Hot Takes Big Stakes Instagram: www.instagram.com/hottakesbigstakes/

TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@hottakesbigstakes/

More on Danny Alexander

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dalexdalex

“Who Gives A Crap” Website: https://us.whogivesacrap.org

 

 More on Natalie Holloway: Personal Instagram: www.instagram.com/natalieholloway/

“Bala” Instagram: www.instagram.com/bala/

“Balacize” Instagram: www.instagram.com/balacize/

Substack, “Working Out in Heels”: natalieholloway.substack.com

Book a 1-on-1 Call: intro.co/NatalieHolloway

More on Lana Elie-Meyers:

Personal Instagram: www.instagram.com/lanaelie/

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lana-elie-875b383a/ 

 

 

00:00 Intro

00:49 Danny’s background in industrial design and social impact

05:12 The name “Who Gives A Crap,” testing and why it stuck

08:20 Packaging as marketing, paper wrap insight

10:00 The stripe concept and present-style unboxing

11:35 Mission talk, 50% of profits to impact

15:56 Bootstrapping for nine years, why investors said no

16:53 IndieGoGo strategy and the $50K threshold

17:48 The 51-hour toilet livestream

24:58 Early UK retail moment and momentum check

26:18 “Everything is marketing,” touchpoints that spread

27:51 One big thing per year, the focus thesis

31:06 Second brand experiment and hard tradeoffs

34:53 Launch vs land, scaling lessons

36:10 Europe attempt, translation reality check

36:44 Pivot to Canada, partnerships and pre-launch plan

37:25 DTC first, selective retail like Whole Foods

52:31 Wrap up and call to action

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2 months ago
53 minutes 6 seconds

Hot Takes Big Stakes
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 only their second year of operation.

Times are changing quickly, and with the advent of Artificial Intelligence, the barrier to entry for many software companies is lower than ever. In this conversation, Lana shares her advice on building a company from the idea stage to its first 100 customers, then 1,000 customers, one million dollars, and beyond.

Each episode of Hot Takes, Big Stakes brings you real conversations with high profile business leaders. No jargon. No sugarcoating. Just the honest truth about what it takes to build a company from the ground up.

00:39 Introduction & Today’s Topic: Floom’s First Million
02:25 Doing Your First Million in One Year
04:00 Executing an Idea in the Tech Space Without Experience
06:35 Pitfalls to Avoid
09:26 Finding Your First 100 Customers
17:55 Finding Your First 1000 Customers
18:26 Managing Your Mindset
22:00 Biggest Mistakes When Striving for Your First Million
27:23 Hot Takes

 

More on Natalie Holloway:

  • Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natalieholloway/
  • “Bala” Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bala/ 
  • “Balacize” Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/balacize/ 
  • Substack, “Working Out in Heels”: natalieholloway.substack.com 
  • Book a 1-on-1 Call: https://intro.co/NatalieHolloway 



More on Lana Elie-Meyers:

  • Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lanaelie/ 
  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lana-elie-875b383a/ 

 

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2 months ago
31 minutes 54 seconds

Hot Takes Big Stakes
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 point for the brand when Natalie received an offer from Mark Cuban and Maria Sharapova for $900,000 in exchange for 30 percent of the company.

Understanding your brand, defining your valuation, and crafting a razor-sharp pitch are some of the most valuable skills you can develop as a business founder. Whether or not you ever end up on Shark Tank, the insights Natalie shares in this conversation will be key to your ability to attract investors and grow with confidence.

Each episode of Hot Takes, Big Stakes brings you real conversations with high profile business leaders. No jargon. No sugarcoating. Just the honest truth about what it takes to build a company from the ground up.

Key Takeaways:

  • Just try. If you get a call, you can discuss timing. But go for it.
  • Your pitch is everything.
  • Closing the deal itself is a process.
  • Respond quickly to emails, it shows you value your employees.



More on Natalie Holloway:

  • Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natalieholloway/
  • “Bala” Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bala/ 
  • “Balacize” Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/balacize/ 
  • Substack, “Working Out in Heels”: natalieholloway.substack.com 
  • Book a 1-on-1 Call: https://intro.co/NatalieHolloway 



More on Lana Elie-Meyers:

  • Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lanaelie/ 

Show more...
2 months ago
25 minutes 32 seconds

Hot Takes Big Stakes
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 episode covers how Canopy focused on solving real user problems, stayed profitable from day one, and turned a bootstrapped product into a trusted beauty and wellness brand. Whether you're building in DTC, design, or consumer goods, there's something in here for you.

 

Key Takeaways:

 

  • Bootstrapping forced every dollar to count, which shaped the company’s focus on ROI
  • Canopy reimagined the humidifier as a beauty and wellness product
  • Sephora helped position the brand as more than an appliance
  • The team avoided flashy packaging to cut costs and reduce waste
  • Doris Dev was created as a learning platform and support system for launching Canopy
  • Having a founding team with clear strengths in product, ops, and brand was key
  • Spending time with manufacturers was critical for building better products

 

More Hot Takes Big Stakes

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hottakesbigstakes/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hottakesbigstakes/

 

 

More on Lucas Lappe

 

 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucaslappe/ 

“Canopy” Website: https://getcanopy.co/ 

X Profile: https://x.com/lucas_lappe

 

More on Natalie Holloway:

 

Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natalieholloway/

“Bala” Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bala/

“Balacize” Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/balacize/

Substack,

“Working Out in Heels”: natalieholloway.substack.com

Book a 1-on-1 Call: https://intro.co/NatalieHolloway

 

More on Lana Elie-Meyers:

 

Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lanaelie/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lana-elie-875b383a/

 

 

Chapters

 

00:00 - Intro

01:15 - Lucas’s Engineering Roots & Startup Beginnings

03:40 - Quirky, Goby & Lessons from Failing Fast

07:10 - Launching Doris Dev to Solve Real Problems

09:45 - How Canopy Was Born from an Idea & a Bad Humidifier

13:00 - The Beauty Consumer Deserves Better

14:45 - Getting Into Sephora Without Funding

17:30 - The Real Benefits of a Humidifier

19:15 - Their Strategy Across Sephora, Amazon, & Baby Retailers

21:00 - Expanding into Shower Heads & Bathroom Wellness

23:30 - Why Canopy Doesn’t Do Fancy Packaging

26:00 - Scaling a Business with a 20-Person Team

29:00 - Why ROI Dictates Every Business Decision

33:00 - Advice for Product-Based Startup Founders

36:30 - Hot Takes: Reinventing the Pet Industry?

38:15 - The Product That Shouldn’t Exist

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3 months ago
40 minutes 29 seconds

Hot Takes Big Stakes
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 wish someone told us.

Real talk. Real tactics. No playbook required.

 

Chapters:

00:00:01 – Is your idea worth it? How to test your concept even if no one gets it yet.
00:04:02 – Solo founder vs. co-founder What no one tells you about emotional labor, investor bias, and breakups.
00:09:38 – Setting up your company LLC or C-Corp? LegalZoom, lawyers, or Stripe Atlas?
00:11:14 – Bootstrapping vs. raising capital Natalie and Lana take sides.
00:15:15 – Making your first physical product
00:19:07 – What makes a brand stick?
00:24:00 – Naming your company
00:26:22 – How to get your first customers
00:27:58 – Go niche or go broke. The strategy behind showing up in all the right places.
00:30:13 – SEO: underrated, essential

 

More on Natalie Holloway:

  • Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natalieholloway/
  • “Bala” Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bala/ 
  • “Balacize” Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/balacize/ 
  • Substack, “Working Out in Heels”: natalieholloway.substack.com 
  • Book a 1-on-1 Call: https://intro.co/NatalieHolloway 

 

More on Lana Elie-Meyers:

  • Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lanaelie/ 
  • Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lana-elie-875b383a/
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3 months ago
30 minutes 40 seconds

Hot Takes Big Stakes
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 Whole Foods, Nadya’s story is anything but ordinary. From launching a nonprofit at 16 to raising a $2M pre-seed and turning period stigma into cultural currency, this is an inside look at what it really takes to build a brand that breaks taboos—and the internet.

Chapters:

00:00:05 Intro to Nadya Okamoto
00:06:05 How Being Bold Helped Grow Nadya and August’s Social
00:10:35 Balancing Being an Operating Founder and Creating Content
00:16:45 Getting Into Retail and Partnering with Big Names in Retail
00:19:45 The Difference In Shopping Experience Between Direct To Consumer and Retail
00:24:00 5 Years Into The Business and The Next Steps
00:27:55 Mental Health, Taking Care of Yourself, and The Value of Sleep
00:35:50 Hot Takes
00:44:20 Conclusion

Whether you’re building a brand, scaling a mission, or just learning to say “period” out loud, this one is unmissable.

 

More on Nadya Okamoto:
Instagram: @nadyaokamoto
August: itsaugust.co

 

More on Natalie Holloway:

  • Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natalieholloway/
  • “Bala” Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bala/ 
  • “Balacize” Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/balacize/ 
  • Substack, “Working Out in Heels”: natalieholloway.substack.com 
  • Book a 1-on-1 Call: https://intro.co/NatalieHolloway 



More on Lana Elie-Meyers:

  • Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lanaelie/ 
  • Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lana-elie-875b383a/

 

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3 months ago
44 minutes 32 seconds

Hot Takes Big Stakes
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 could actually answer them.

In our first ‘Deep Dive’ episode, you're getting exactly what you came for. Natalie and Lana get into the nitty gritty on the most pressing questions about raising money for your business. 

Lana has taken little more than bold ideas and turned them into millions of dollars worth of funding. She's mastered the art of investment strategy, and her perspective on pitch decks, shareholder agreements, and attracting the right investors is clear, actionable, and seriously valuable.

Each episode of Hot Takes, Big Stakes features real conversations with founders like Natalie and Lana. No jargon, no sugarcoating. Just the truth about what it takes to build something from scratch.

 

Key Takeaways:

  • Selling the “dream” is easier than selling the data.
  • Do your research. You can find investors for almost any company online.
  • Raising money is a numbers game… don’t be afraid to send a cold email.
  • Focus on your momentum to keep excitement.
  • There are so many great resources for crafting a Pitchdeck. 
  • Know your shareholder’s agreement front to back.
  • Handle rejection by using it as motivation.

More on Natalie Holloway:

  • Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natalieholloway/
  • “Bala” Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bala/ 
  • “Balacize” Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/balacize/ 
  • Substack, “Working Out in Heels”: natalieholloway.substack.com 
  • Book a 1-on-1 Call: https://intro.co/NatalieHolloway 



More on Lana Elie-Meyers:

  • Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lanaelie/ 
  • Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lana-elie-875b383a/

 

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3 months ago
30 minutes 50 seconds

Hot Takes Big Stakes
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, Zach led hiring at brands like MeUndies and Everlane.

Zach is an incredible guest because he’s an open book. In this conversation, he walks us through the highs and lows of co-founding Our Place. From years of struggle in development and fundraising to a breakout moment during COVID, when the company saw over 5 million dollars in sales in a single day, Zach shares it all.

Now, having stepped away from Our Place, Zach is embracing whatever comes next. His story is a powerful reminder that everything in business has an expiration date, and sometimes the biggest breakthroughs come after letting go.

Each episode of Hot Takes, Big Stakes brings you real conversations with founders like Zach. No jargon. No sugarcoating. Just the honest truth about what it takes to build something from the ground up.

 

Key Takeaways:

  • Protect your passions. They are your center of gravity
  • Talk about your idea early and often
  • When launching a product, something should be happening every day
  • Everything has an expiration date
  • Push for more ownership
  • Don’t talk yourself out of it



More on Zach Rosner

  • LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/zachrosner
  • “OurPlace” Website: https://fromourplace.com/ 

 

More on Natalie Holloway:

  • Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natalieholloway/
  • “Bala” Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bala/ 
  • Substack, “Working Out in Heels”: natalieholloway.substack.com 
  • Book a 1-on-1 Call: https://intro.co/NatalieHolloway 

More on Lana Elie-Meyers:

  • Personal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lanaelie/ 
  • Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lana-elie-875b383a/

 

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4 months ago
1 hour 5 minutes 41 seconds

Hot Takes Big Stakes
Welcome To Hot Takes Big Stakes

Subscribe to listen to Hot Takes Big Stakes every week on Thursday.T

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4 months ago
38 seconds

Hot Takes Big Stakes
The real-world highs and lows of building a business—from early ideas scribbled on napkins to multimillion-dollar raises and the pivotal moments in between. Hosted by serial founders Natalie Holloway (Bala) and Lana Elie (Floom). We explore the unfiltered truths most founders are too polished (or too cautious) to say out loud. No hype, no jargon—just honest conversations about what actually works, what doesn’t, and what it really takes to grow something from nothing. Each week, Natalie and Lana sit down founder-to-founder to share sharp insights, fresh perspectives, and the kind of candor you rarely hear in the boardroom. Build your dream. Burn the playbook.