Yanni Hufnagel isn’t your typical founder. He’s a former basketball coach that brings energy and motivation to the business world in a way we haven’t seen before.

Yanni found his niche with the refreshing lemon water drink, Lemon Perfect, now the fastest growing enhanced water brand in the US. From seeing his product stocked in major chains like Whole Foods and CVS, to bringing Beyonce on board as an investor, Lemon Perfect has taken the beverage market by storm.

Having crossed more than $100mn in revenue, Yanni is now pushing towards a billion dollar valuation. He sat down to chat with us about his early journey, the importance of relationships in building a retail brand, and the impact of bringing major celebrities like Beyonce on board when scaling.

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Timestamps:

00:00 Trailer

01:35 The Initial Idea for Lemon Perfect

05:34 Fractional Resources: Running a Brand as a Solo Founder

08:47 Why Athletes Make Great Entrepreneurs

12:00 Wins & Losses in Year 1: The Pivot Away from Refrigerated

15:50 Tips for Getting Into Retail

21:27 The Impact of Celebrity Endorsements

24:34 Why Building a Beverage Company is a Streetfight

26:22 How Beyonce Became an Investor

29:06 The Next 24 Months

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Follow us across our socials:

- Twitter: https://x.com/happystackhq

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/happystackhq/

- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/happystackhq

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Check out the HappyStack website:

https://www.happystack.com/

We connect the world's best DTC brands with the software they need to scale efficiently.

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Check out Yanni & Lemon Perfect:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/yhufnagel/

https://www.instagram.com/yanni/

https://x.com/yhufnagel

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#ecommerce #podcast #founder #business #makemoneyonline #lemonperfect

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In a world where new fashion brands are started every day, authenticity is rare. But Luke Murphy and his brand Almost Home, have it in droves.

He’s prioritised creativity above all else, designing pitch-perfect products for his community, and prioritising the long term game, over short term monetary gains.

From collaborating with industry giants like Cole Buxton and UVU, to seeing Rio Ferdinand repping his gear at the Champions League Final, Luke joins us for a few Guinness to give his unique take on building a fashion brand in 2025.

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Timestamps:

00:00 Trailer

01:25 Origins of Almost Home

06:10 Taking the leap as a founder

08:30 Building a brand first, ecom store second

09:46 The importance of finding the right co-founder

14:38 The story behind Almost Home's logo

17:24 Daily ups and downs of running a business

21:34 Balancing product quality with a sustainable business

24:32 Working alongside Cole Buxton & UVU

26:37 Why UVU have blown up as a brand

30:23 Nail your product before attempting to scale

33:03 Rio wearing Almost Home at the UCL final

37:11 Getting the basics right as a new founder

42:54 How ALD redefined the retail experience

45:16 Staying true to your brand amidst ever-changing trends

48:49 What Luke knows now, he wish he knew at the start

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

60% of marketers say influencer marketing delivers a higher ROI than traditional channels.

Not only does creator marketing work - it’s essential for building a profitable, sustainable brand. The challenge? It’s overwhelming for marketers without experience, and the landscape is always changing. That’s where today’s episode comes in.

Andy Cloyd and Anders Bill, the brains behind Superfiliate, help the world’s top DTC brands craft influencer campaigns that actually win. From Chamberlain Coffee and Dr. Squatch to MUD\WTR and Graza, they’ve seen firsthand how hundreds of 7 and 8-figure brands run influencer, affiliate, and referral campaigns.

In this episode, they break down their playbook for success in word-of-mouth marketing—from sourcing the right influencers to measuring campaign impact. Whether you’re an influencer pro or launching your first campaign, this one’s for you!

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Timestamps:

00:00 Trailer

01:00 Intro

02:48 Should every brand be working with influencers?

05:50 Product Creator Fit: Working with creators pre-launch

10:29 Micro-Mentions: Design your product to be shareable

12:11 How to approach your first creator campaign

15:03 Sourcing the right influencers for your brand

17:43 Affiliate, Up-Front or Equity: Structuring influencer deals

22:07 Nailing Discovery: Get to know your creators

27:25 How involved should brands be with content creation?

28:46 Is pay-per-post a risky approach?

30:50 Negotiating paid media deals

37:01 Measuring success with influencer campaigns

44:03 Future of the Creator Economy: What 2025 has in store

48:43 What role will AI play in the creator space?

52:31 Are social platforms facilitating creator/brand relationships?

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Check out the HappyStack website: https://www.happystack.com/

We connect the world's best DTC brands with the software they need to scale efficiently.

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Follow us across our socials:

- Twitter: https://x.com/happystackhq

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/happystackhq/

- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/happystackhq

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.