{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"The 7 Hats","title":"Built to Break, Rebuilt to Last: Eric Skae on CPG Scars, Scaling Carbone, and Starting Over Smarter","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":3809,"description":"🎙️ What if building a billion dollar brand came with a billion dollar bill?Eric Skae knows the cost of growth because he’s paid it, multiple times.From building Arizona Iced Tea's first distribution map to scaling Rao’s during a shareholder battle, and now turning Carbone into the next great CPG empire, Eric has lived through the beauty and brutality of entrepreneurship.This isn’t a story about unicorn valuations. It’s about resilience. About watching everything collapse, then starting again. About the friends who disappear when the money runs dry, and the walks that bring clarity back.If you’ve ever sacrificed too much for success, this episode is your reminder: you can build something great without losing yourself in the process.🎩 SummaryEric walks us through his Bronx beginnings, a career built brick by brick in beverage and CPG, and what it really takes to turn brands around. He shares the high of scaling Arizona, the heartbreak of losing New Leaf, and the hustle of rebuilding post 2008 with nothing but grit, yoga, and a 3 million dollar loss he didn’t have to lose.We go deep into what most founders hide: identity collapse, co signed debt, and the moment you find yourself coaching others while quietly falling apart. But Eric’s not just a survivor. He’s a strategist, scaling Carbone into a 100 million dollar retail powerhouse, one jar at a time.This episode is a masterclass in grounded ambition. How to scale without selling your soul.🎩 Hats Covered• 🎩 1: The Soul• 🎩 2: The Athlete• 🎩 3: The Servant• 🎩 4: The Entrepreneur• 🎩 5: The Investor• 🎩 7: The Seeker💡 Key Takeaways• 🎩 1: Success doesn’t always look like peace. Sometimes it looks like panic in the parking lot.• 🎩 2: Discipline beats motivation. Walk. Lift. Breathe. Repeat.• 🎩 3: Find the friends who call after the storm, not just in the sun.• 🎩 4: Scaling too fast without systems is the most expensive tuition you’ll ever pay.• 🎩 5: If you don’t have cash reserves, your brand might not make it through the...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/faFBEKbYXJ6SlEo0khsI9QXVcTPBDJpOwWKgVDXM02U/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9iYTBh/OTYxYTMzZDg1ZDJk/NmY2NGEyYTBhZDg2/YjA2ZC5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}