Nima Jalali built SALT & STONE out of his apartment into a $100M+ brand, without ever pitching a single retailer. After an ACL injury redirected his path, he created something he desperately wanted but didn't exist, a high quality, clean deodorant, that actually performs. SALT & STONE has now become one of the fastest growing brands in the space to-date by doing things differently. Even right now, every 60 seconds a SALT & STONE deodorant is bought.

In this candid conversation Nima opens up about transitioning from a pro surfboarder into the Founder role, what it takes to build a killer team, and what keeps him going. He reveals the counter-intuitive strategy that got Sephora to come to him, and how he iterated his deodorant formula through 5 generations before calling it perfect.

You’ll Learn:

• Why going through 5+ product iterations beats launching "good enough"
• The digital excellence strategy that makes retailers chase you (not the other way around)
• How to build legacy brand positioning even as a one-person startup
• Why getting a "no" from retailers too early can kill your momentum
• The mindset shift from solo athlete to team builder
• The key to building a digital identity that inspires & attracts customers

CHAPTERS:

00:00 Introducing Nima Jalali, Founder & CEO of SALT & STONE

3:00 Transitioning from Pro Snowboarder to Business Owner

4:55 The 5 Generations of Product Perfection

6:45 How to Think Like Nike When You're a One-Man Show

8:13 What Nima Did to Build a Brand Sephora NEEDS to Have

10:09 Steps to Achieve Digital Excellence

12:39 SALT & STONE’S Philosophy on: Ingredient Sourcing, Product Development & Testing

19:06 How to Set Your Business Up to Grow Into a Legacy Brand From Day 1

22:07 The Retail Strategy That Never Fails

28:35 Tackling Global Expansion & Managing Expectations as a Founder

29:55 Single Most Impactful Thing NIma Did in The First 6 Months That Made SALT & STONE Successful

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