Today’s callers: Kohindo from New York is looking to reboot her African-rooted fashion brand after losing a few key retailers. Then Tara from San Diego considers avenues to educate consumers about the benefits of her wool sauna hats. And Carol from Houston wonders whether to market her collegiate purses and accessories l to students or their gift-giving family members.

Plus, Seth lays out his ambitions to quadruple Insomnia’s locations and become a global chain — without turning to franchising.

Thank you to the founders of Kohindo, Sauna Societé, and Desden for being a part of our show.

Be sure to listen to Insomnia Cookies’ founding story as told by Seth on the show in 2024.

This episode was produced by Casey Herman with music by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by John Isabella. Our audio engineer was Annlie Huang.

You can follow HIBT on X & Instagram and sign up for Guy's free newsletter at guyraz.com and on Substack.

Loren Castle started baking cookies after surviving cancer in her early twenties. Five years later, Sweet Loren’s refrigerated cookie dough was generating just $350,000 a year. But instead of giving up, she listened to customers, and reinvented the dough without gluten, dairy, eggs or nuts. That transformation turned a small regional business into a national brand sold in more than 30,000 stores.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

• How surviving cancer at 22 inspired Loren to rethink her career and develop a passion for healthier food.
• What working at New York’s Levain Bakery taught her about the enormous appeal—and profitability—of cookies.
• Why Loren decided to sell ready-made cookie dough instead of cookies
• Why she was totally unprepared for her first Whole Foods meeting—but went anyway
• Why raising her first $1 million from friends and family was much harder than she expected.
• Why hundreds of customer requests revealed an unmet need for allergen-free cookie dough.
• Why growing slowly may have saved the company.
• Why Loren isn't rushing to sell Sweet Loren’s

TIMESTAMPS:

8:40 – After her mother's leukemia diagnosis, Loren is diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma at 22.

13:12 – Watching people line up for cookies at Levain Bakery: “I think this is America’s favorite food.”

14:54 – Selling baked goods at Smorgasburg: customers ask if they can just buy the dough

26:52 – Just as Whole Foods agrees to carry her cookie dough, Loren loses her mom

37:41 – What happens after Sweet Loren’s gets on The Today Show: “The whole country is excited by this.”

50:19 – Loren reconsiders her recipes after customers ask for dough without gluten, dairy, eggs.

56:24 – Loren takes the leap: discontinuing her original product line and going allergen-free for all.

1:05:41 – From one Whole Foods to 30,000 stores–the company expands nationally.

1:07:46 – After years of struggle, Loren explains why she wants to keep building the company instead of pursuing an exit.

This episode was produced by Carla Esteves, with music composed by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Neva Grant. Our audio engineer was Jimmy Keeley.

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Today’s callers: Lindzi from Chicago wants to expand her gourmet marshmallow brand into retail without cannibalizing her high-margin DTC sales. Then, Vivi from Hawaii considers how to best tell her sustainable swimwear brand’s story to a digital audience. And Aly from Los Angeles wonders whether a subscription model is best for her whimsical curated experiences.

Plus, Tara talks about her latest entrepreneurial venture, Snackish, and how starting a new company feels different the second time around...

Thank you to the founders of XO Marshmallows, Vivi’s Vacation, and Romanticize Collective for being a part of our show.

Be sure to listen to SmartSweets’ founding story as told by Tara on the show in 2024.

This episode was produced by Chris Maccini with music by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by John Isabella. Our audio engineer was Annlie Huang.

You can follow HIBT on X & Instagram and sign up for Guy's free newsletter at guyraz.com and on Substack.