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Being STRONG is more than just how much weight you can lift.
The Strong New York Podcast is dedicated to inspiring you to become your strongest self- in the gym, in business, in relationships and in life.
Join Kenny as he sits down with his strong as fuck buddies and shoots the shit on what it takes to be strong willed, strong minded and physically strong. Season one features everyone from entrepreneurs and local business owners to doctors and industry leaders in the fitness and wellness space.
With over a decade of experience, Kenny Santucci has made himself known as one of New York City’s top trainers and a thought leader in the health and wellness industry. After transforming his life at 15 years old through fitness, Kenny made it his mission to transform the lives of those around him.
Kenny has trained some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, including Jon Bon Jovi, Liev Schreiber, and Frank Ocean, and has been tapped as a fitness expert sharing his training approach with Men’s Health, Men’s Journal, Runner's World, SHAPE, Well+Good, among other publications.
Kenny is the creator of STRONG New York, NYC's only Health and Fitness Expo. Strong New York is an immersive day of workouts, wellness experiences, panel discussions, and inspiring conversations with the best in-class wellness professionals, industry leaders, and change makers who are sharing their expertise on today's hottest wellness trends and first-hand experiences on how to optimize your overall health and life.
You can find Kenny at The Strength Club, his private training and group strength training facility in the heart of Manhattan located on 28th and 5th Ave in New York City.
Welcome back to another episode of the Strong New York Podcast.I'm your host, Kenny Santucci, and as always, we are sponsored by Celsius, so grab yourself a can and live fit.We have our second sponsor, thank you, Jesus.I love these guys.I love working with them.Merrick Health.So go to Merrick Health right now and use the code Kenny and get your blood work done, 'cause it's super important.If you haven't heard my story, I'm eventually gonna tell it again, so keep listening to the podcast.Today, I have my shittiest guest.For all my gentlemen out there who are like myself, who have a problem wiping their own ass, well, we have found our savior.My man, Sam Nebel.That's right.From g- We're here.So it feels good to wipe your ass, right?What, what's the, what's the slogan?That feels good.Feels good.Goodwipes are the only way to wipe.Gentlemen, lady, if you have trouble, we're here to help.So we've actually had this discussion in the gym multiple times.So Christie is my right-hand lady.She does everything here.And we have Goodwipes in our bathrooms.Um, I'm a huge fan because I just happen to be one of those guys, I just think my ass is a little bit cleaner with the Goodwipes.That's right.And I said, "Why don't you use them?"'Cause one day we went in the bathroom and she's like, "There's no toilet paper."I go, "Use the Goodwipes."And she's like, "I don't use it."And sh- I go, "Why wouldn't you use it?"She goes, "Women don't use it to wipe their ass."I go, "They should."But there was about 6 girls in here, and they're all like, "No, I don't use wipes."Why do you think g- I mean, I know why I use it.I mean, guy's ass is hairy, gotta clean it out, gotta make it, you know, uh, a nice tight situation downladies, they don't like using them.Why?I, I can talk aboutThere's, there's, we see different responses from different groups.We know first off the bat that gentlemen, w- it's messier.It's hairy.Yeah, yeah, yeah.It's, it's, you know- It's a bad situationall, all my friends, they're hairy.Me.You know, we started out of, out with the idea out of a frat house, giving baby wipes to all of our friends.Initially, they all said, "You're crazy."And then within 30 days, they would steal my co-founder Charlie and I's wipes out of Ziploc bags that we would carry to tailgates and football games at Florida State.Genius.But what we found is it wasn't just them.Their girlfriends would come up.So we always, from the start, wanted to create a wipe for every booty, and that's what we did with Goodwipes.Mm-hmm.We made it flushable.We made it more eco-friendly.Infused it with better ingredients, and a more relatable, approachable brand that consumers or our Millennial peers at the time, 12 years ago- Mmwould actually want to purchase.And now 70% of our customer base are actually women.But we are for every booty.We are for every booty.So you guys have been working on this for 12 years.Yeah, 13.E- 13.13 years.Yes.So most people see the product, and I've only learned about the product, what, 2 years ago, 3 years ago?2, 3 years ago we found out aboutI think a lot of people nowadays, you see the success of some brands that pop up out of nowhere, CPG products, whatever it is.Yep.And they're 3, 4, 5 years in, they're selling for millions of dollars.You clearly probably had some hiccups along the way in 12, 13 years.But being an entrepreneur 12, 13 years ago, and creating a product like this wasn't as relevant and as common as it is now.What made you want to l- start it, and like how hard was it back then to get started compared to now?I, I think, I, there's a few things there.The first thing that you mentioned is you start to see brands pop up the past two and three years.Mm-hmm.And granted, a lot of them do come out of the blue.So the Gruns acquisition, but really Chad had been working behind the scenes and building up who he is as an entrepreneur and his go-to-market strategy and product and- Mm-hmmunderstanding of going to market for 10 years.And so I think what actually happens is most brands are, are really building for 7, 8, 9, 10 years before you may ever even hear of them in a more mainstream or- Mmcultural zeitgeist way.And I'd say we've definitely fall, fall into that category, literally by the math that you just said.Mm-hmm.We've been around, or we started 12 and a half, 13 years ago.You only found us 2 years ago.That's just the reality.Mm-hmm.And now we're at the scale and size where, and the way the market is with working with influencers and creators and- Mm-hmmestablishing those relationships and how long it takes to build out a real brand in retail, especially retailers like Kroger, Walmart, and Target.And then once you're out there, we do to- a repack fresh.Now people are starting to see us a little bitWell, I mean, listen, we've had so many founders on the show.Yeah.We have a very, uh, probably I, I'd consider him one of my mentors, Aaron Hein.Yes, Aaron Hein.A- Dr. Hein, baby.The, one of the absolute greatest guys I've ever met.I absolutely love him.He's, you know, he's just a great a guy as his product is great.100%.Um, one of the things that, uh, you know, I've noticed with a lot of brands is that they'll go through this kind of rebranding, and that's when it really shoots up.Celsius is one of those brands.Yep.I was talking to John, who's, uh, the CEO, great, great guy, and he was saying that he took the brand in 2019.They ref- l- repackaged the product.Yep.And then it blew up.Did you see the same thing, like when you guys started to repackage your product that like, who's helping you with that, and what was the catalyst to do that?I think there's a couple things.1, the foresight of my co-founder, Charlie, who ha- even though we didn't have bad packaging, a couple of years ago, he said, "W- we need to lead the category- Mmand come out with something that is actually defines more of what we say, which is needs to look really aesthetic in the bathroom that you wanna leave it out."Mm-hmm."We need to come with something cleaner and better."Before we ever had any issues or problems, 'cause we didn't.So it was more of a proactive approach.Then we went out to a few agencies.I forget the name of, of the concept, but you go out to agencies.It's like you pay them, you know, a few grand.They do some work for you.Agencies hate it, which is fine, 'cause I hate agencies.A- They're the worst, right?They're, they're the worst.I just got another bill from an agency, and I'm like, "You didn't give me anything."Yeah.Yeah.Y- yeah.Pay 10% of it and, and, uh, go your separate ways.Yeah.And I lo- I, I like to make a, get in a little trouble here, you know what I mean?A- and so, um, we got some workIt felt kind of good, but then we looked internal and said, "We have 2 of the best graphic designers we think in all of CPG.1, Maria, has been with us for 10 years.She knows this brand inside and out.She has a great eye for color for rest of store."Mm-hmm."Let's u- let's work with them."So we did the entire thing internal, took us about 9 months, and when we released that, we started seeing the reception.It first launched in Target, then Walmart.But at the same time, we were planning to start doing these bigger launches.Mm.So it wasn't just the packaging, the packaging is absolutely killing it in retail right now- Mm-hmmbut it was also the decision to say, "Hey, we're gonna start doing these bigger burst campaigns like we're doing now."So a lot of times I'm listening to founder stories- Yeahand they're talking about how they created products.Take us through the process of creating a product like this, because it's a lot harder than people realize.100%.Having to find a place to manufacture it, then getting, umIs there any type of, like, federal approval that, you know, Good Wipes needs to, uh, you know, it has to be tested for self su- uh, shelf sustain purposes?You know, how's all that work?There, there's a number of tests you have to do.So when we started, it was Charlie and I working out of my parents' house in Orlando, Florida 13This was actually 13 and a half years ago.But, like, what does that- Yeahworkday look like?You guys get up and you're like, "All right, here's all the other baby wipe products out there."Do, do we curse on this, or no?Yeah, yeah.Okay.We, we had no fucking idea what we were doing.Yeah, yeah.So we're calling manufacturers.They're like, "Hey, this is your MOQ, 100,000 pieces."We're doing the math, it's like, $50,000.We're like, "What?Whoa, whoa, whoa.We, we don't, we don't have that."So we ended up calling around, um, again, not really knowing what we were doing, but we would go toWe would g- grab every single wipe that was available in the supermarket- Mmfacial wipes, baby wipes, and look through all the ingredients and look 'em up on EWG to see what we want, and that's how we backed into the formula that we wanted.But then you also have to do a number of different testing.You have to do stability testing, preservative efficacy testing.So anytime you come up with a formula, you have to wait months to make sure, uh, HRIPT testing, which is skin patch- Sureinsult testing, to make sure that it doesn't irritate sensitive skin.You have to do all those just to bring something to market.Yeah.Uh, it's not FDA, so it's, it's actually cosmetic, so we don't have to, you know, uh, register that product with the FDA.But your facilities have to be registered with the FDA.Yeah.So where, where does that testing get done?So you create the pro- the- We, we go to third-party labs.Okay, so you, you- Yeah, we go to third-party labsget the product.Now, your asshole- That's rightfor lack of a better word- Yeahis a very sensitive part of your body.It's one of the most sensitive.So because it's a new product- Yeahwhat, what is that testing?Or were they like, "Hey, we gotta, we gotta try this out on a couple people?"Was there, like, a longer testing product process because- We did, we did a lot of anecdotal, um, where we would, you know, get the product, we make sure it'sWe do have a fragrance, and we utilize as many natural ingredients in the fragrance as possible- Mmand also use skin-safe synthetics to ensure that it's crafted specifically for a human's booty, which is, uh, 5.5 pH.So we go through all that first, run it at the labs at the factory.Mm-hmm.You feel pretty good about it.You have anecdotal testing, pass out to 30 people.Everyone's like, "This is great, feels good.My anorectal," or asshole, as, as we would like to call it-uh, "booty hole is, it like feels good, feels better."Mm-hmm.And then we even do, on top of that, we'll send, send out to ran- randomize surveys and say, "Hey, uh, 97% 7 days later said flushable wipes areor Good Wipes flushable wipes are cleaning me better than toilet paper.97% say Good Wipes leave my skin feeling fresher than toilet paper."And so we go down the line to make sure it checks those boxes before we release it to market, and we do that again for every single flavor and fragrance that we ever bring to market.So as a business owner, there are times where it gets rough, right?You're like, "Why isn't business coming through?"Yeah.I'm dealing with this product.And that's when a lot of people throw the chips in, they're like, "I'm done.I can't do this anymore.I don't wanna play this game."What made you so passionate about this product that you wanted to see itI think- Because there had to be- Yeahsome really fucking rough times.A, a lot, especially- Yeahat, especially at the beginning.Yeah.The, the beginning as in, like, the first 4 years, then the first 8 years, and then-the first 10 years of the company, right?It, it never gets easier.You just get more comfortable in those sit- certain- For suresituations with ambiguity and roadblocks, but it's definitely tough when you're bootstrapped, under-resourced.You're, you're, like, you can't pay your, or you're very tight on cash flow and paying your bills.You just gotta get comfortable with making tough phone calls or asking for favors, which sucks to feel like, "Hey, you know, you're shipping our product every week.You're a great 3PL partner.Unfortunately, do you mind just waiting 2 more weeks for us to pay you 'cause we're waiting on this payment clearance from Walmart because everything got shipped in late because there was something weird with the sh- with the boats, and blah, blah, blah," right?So that just, that just happens a lot, especially at the early stages.Mm-hmm.I think you get better at managing it and be- better at building a business and building a team.Our, our passion for the product and, and this entire brand is just based on the firm belief that this is the better way.This is the better way to wipe.Good wipes are the only way to wipe.And seeing the data come true, where flushable wipes as a category has doubled over the past 10 years, has surpassed a billion dollars, and we're now the fastest growing flushable wipe brand in the country, we continue to see that data of, okay, now we got into Target.Now we're betterNow we're doing well in Target.Now we got into Walmart.Now we're in Kroger.Now our Kroger sales are 3 times what they were 3 years ago.And continuing to see those stories- Mm-hmmmakes it easy to say, "Oh, this is a challenge.Let's roll up our sleeves and all get busy on it."Yeah.Now, getting into the bigger stores like that-that's not an easy feat either.No.Right?Like, getting into the big chains and havingWhat a lot of brands run into, and I've had so many different founders talk about this, the capital to fulfill one of those orders, you need a ton of capital.Yeah.Have you diluted your company?Or, I mean, if you wanna share it, you can share it.If not, no worries.have you diluted to the point where you're like, "Hey, we need a big capital raise.We need a couple 1000000.We're losing, we're losing a big chunk of this company."Like, I think that'sYou see so many people talking about nowadays, it's like, "Oh, I had a 7figure exit, a 10-figure exit," blah, blah, blah, but, like, how much of that was, did you get to keep?Yeah.Because very few founders get to keep a lot of what they, you know, put in.Uh, I, I think it all depends on, on what the outcome is and how it's structured.For us, I, I'd say there's a number of ways that we've used financing.1, we worked with really great vendor partners who- Mmwould extend us terms, right?So just as thinking of, like, hey, if you're starting up a company, first 5 years, maybe investors aren't interested.Like, there's a lot of crafty ways that take really long and are really brutal to go through.Mm-hmm.There's debt lenders that we work with.We, we would start with, we started with, umWe, we did an Apparama, which it means you apply for as many credit cards, business credit cards as you can within 24 hours so they don't ding each other.That was the first.I'm just giving you, like, the crazy- Yeah, yeah, yeah13 years ago story.It was absolutely nuts.Followed by then using high interest loan places that are, like, merchant cash advances, which are really for one-week turnarounds, like, you know, truck drivers or trucking companies.And w- we really needed capital, and so the payback period's long, and the IRR is actuallyLike, the, the interest rate on that ends up being 30-plus percent if you, if you go over-like, you know, 2 months.But most people are paying it back in 2 weeks, so, like, it's short-term.So we would use all those sharky things, Kabbage, all that stuff.Then we would graduate off of that, raise money from angels that have been super supportive.We've done an institutional capital raise before.Mm-hmm.I think the important thing is there is, like, like, yes, you're gonna give up part of your company, but if you're bringing the right partners in, you w- you will literally forget the valuation, the percentage, because when things start working, everyone's winning and everyone's happy.Yeah, yeah.So it doesn't really matter at the end of the day.Well, I think a- where a lot of people go wrong is they're like, "I need the money," so they're taking money from anybody.But taking it from somebody who could be a strategic partner who's got their hooks in a, in a couple different categories that could potentially help your business- Yepis definitely the way to go.Yeah.But I, I mean, I w- I was actually having a conversation with 2 buddies of mine who own a pretty big company.They've had exits from their company.They have a guy on their team who they had brought in who's, quote, unquote, "a partner," and they're having some trouble with him, and you kinda get into this tumul- tumultuous situation where you're like, "We need him.He's a strategic partner, but we can't get rid of him 'cause they're, they're butting heads and shit."Yeah.That's, I think that's, like, what youIt's, I, IEasy to say, hard to do.Like, that's what you- Yeahthe cardinal sin you want to avoid.Actually, Aaron Hind, Doc- shout out Dr. Hind, our mutual, I would say mutual mentor.I love him.Yeah.Um, he f- he found usSo he invested in us.He saw us at the bottom of a Hustle article.Sam Parr'sYou, you know The Hustle- Yeah, yeah, yeahthat, that newsletter?Yeah.We were atThey did a feature on us.We were at the very, very bottom.He reached out, and this is when Life Aid was blowing up, and I w- I was drinking them all the time.I love them.See, Aaron Hind says, "Hey, do you guys, are you guys raising money?Do you wanna talk?"And we needed money so bad at this time.I think it was 2018 or '19.Sure.Call him up.He's grilling me on stuff.I was like, I was like, "All right, all right."He's like, "Look, I'm good for, you know, 15K or something that."I don't think he'd mind me saying this.And, um, and so we, we got closer over the next year as we were continuing to raise from angels.And he actually was the one that introduced us and referred us to our- For surecapital partners.Mm-hmm.So we were lucky that we had a referral, so we were already baked in, comfortable with that organization, and made us feel comfortable with actually moving forward with them and saying, "Okay, you know, th- we're, we're gonna give up some of our company, but in turn we're gonna get a really good partner," and we know that to be true because we trust Aaron a lot.Yeah, yeah, yeah.No, I mean, he's definitely done it.He's done it.I met, I met him and Orion when they were slinging cans out of the back of the trunk of their car- Yeah, yeahat the CrossFit Games.Yeah.And then they blew up, and now theyYou know, it was funny because we joked around about it.It was probably 2018, 2019We're at, uh, we're at the CrossFit Games, and they were the title sponsor, and they had their logo up on the wall- Yeahnext to CrossFit.Yeah.And it was like, "Holy shit, dude."I go, "You have really taken this thing from"And at the time, pre-COVID, there weren't as many people trying to create a brand.That's right.And so you were, you were at the early stage of this, and I saw him slinging cans out of the back of the cart, you know, talking to everybody, doing all the, you know, guerrilla marketing that they possibly could, and I was along for the ride, and it was awesome- Yeahto watch that brand go.It's awesome.When, while you were doing this, right, how much of it was you on the floor with people or, you know, front lines of the battlefield handing out wipes, talking to people, telling people your story?that's an inter- I have a number of answers to this question, actually.I still do that to this day.Yeah.We still do that as an organization.95% of our company is out in the field at, at any given moment.Mm-hmm.Or d- just throughout the course of a year, of our 23 team members, at least 20 would have done a field event, at least one, if not more.Mm-hmm.And the reason is is 'cause we, we believe that's part of our DNA.We feel like you can't build a consumer brand behind a computer screen.I mean, you can, but really, to really know your customers or potential customers or people that are, are finding ways not to buy you, the only way to get those insights is to talk to them face to face.Mm-hmm.So we st- in fact, we do that more than ever.Charlie and I, when we started, we were selling at mom and pop gift shop shows.America's Market in Atlanta was definitely the wrong market for us.Mm-hmm.We just needed to get out there and sell and get feedback, and that's w- it's always been in our DNA to get out there and talk to people.Yeah.So that DNA has transcended through the team, and now we have an amazing community and field marketing team.Did you feel that when you first came up with this product, you're like, "Fuck, this is gonna be a hard sell.Like, how do we get this out there?"Because even for me, there are so many times we'll sit on calls with brands, and we're trying to sell people on the event, and everybody's like, "Well, I don't get what this is."I'm like, "What the fuck is so hard to- Yeahunderstand about a fitness expo?"Now, because there's more people- There's more of themdoing experiential shit, it's like when we were doing in the beginning, to explain it to people, I'm like, "Uh, have you ever been to Comic-Con?"They're like, "Why would I ever go to Comic-Con?"I'm like, "All right.Have you ever been to, yeah, the Food and Wine Festival?"Yeah.I'm like, it, it's so hard to explain to people.I'm like, we're just trying to get everybody who does the same shit in and around the same industry to distribute their products and get out there and, and- A- and have fun.Yes.And create, create an environment.Well, when we would say we're trying to make this a fun experiential event around health and wellness, they're like, "Why would anybody go to that?"And then I'm like, wait, why do I have to explain to people- Yeahwhy they would have fun?Why do you have to explain to people why you'd want your asshole cleaner?It- It, it, and it's, it's silly.It started out much harder.I think the category has grown in popularity.Sure.W- part of what we wanted to achieve was breaking down this taboo conversation.I have ravenous IBS.Charlie has sensitive skin.We wanted to, to make it okay for people to talk about that.Mm-hmm.And now, you go on TikTok, at any given moment, people are talking about their IBS.And it's still taboo for most people, but I, I, I wanna live the brand.We all wanna live the brand.Mm-hmm.So I'll get on there, and a lot of people maybe don't love it, but I'm talking about IBS, and you're talking to the people that understand it.Now, I think there's more permission, like y- what you're saying with, with, uh, Strong AF Fest, September 26th, 2026, let's go.Be there.We're gonna be there.Everyone's gonna be there.Let's go.We don't have to tell anybody about it, 'cause it's already sold out, baby.Let's go.I hope so.And, and what, what I, what I think we fi- is, like, now there, everything's more mainstream.Being an influencer is more mainstream.Yeah, yeah.So now it's easier to get people, but you're still gonna find people that just have no clue.They ju- Well- They just are like, "What?Why would I use that when I use toilet paper?"Yeah.And it's like, that's why you gotta try the product.That's why you gotta come to the festival and see it.Yeah, yeah.Yeah, and IIt's so true, because it's one of those things where people are like, "Well, I could wipe my ass with toilet paper, and it's so much cheaper."For me, having the product all the timeActually, if you go in my, Chrissy grows in my gym bag, you don't have to, but the, I have the little package- Yeahthat I carry around with me, 'cause I'm, I gotta go.I have them right here.You got some little packs?I have, I have some little packs right here.Hold on.I think it's so important.It's so important.Because I, I don't wanna goEspecially when you're out at a, a restaurant or something, and they have the shittiest, it's almost like sandpaper- It-that they have to wipe your ass.We, what we used to call it at, at college is see-through sandpaper.Yeah.You could see your hand- You guys-through it.You don't- Wait, you guys did a partnership with Olipop?We did a partnership with Olipop.This is, these are cool.These are cool.I wanna s- I sent a bunch up.Peach and cream.It seems like UPS is holding onto them real quick.Ooh.These smell great, too.You- Imagine if your ass smelled like peaches and cream.It's amazing.I'll tell you what, if you go downstairs on somebody- Yeahokay, 'cause butthole eating is, like, a huge thing nowadays.People talk about it all the time.It used to be very taboo, but the young kids are doing it, and it's cool again.I, I will actually say we also partnered with Halle Batchelder.Who's that?You know Halle Batchelder.You know Halle Batchelder.Who's that?She is a- She's on Unwell.She's on Unwell Network.Yeah.She's a very famous TikToker and podcaster and personality.We launched this year with Wet January with her.She actually talks about tossing salad.We had her on billboards.That's not the reason why we work with her, but-separate from that, I'm just saying- She's good at it.She's real good at the-the, the, the popularity, we had her on billboards talking about Wet January and using Good Wipes, and how she would never go dry because she likes to enjoy her extra dirty martinis.And that's why she's, she's wiping wet.And now here we are with Olipop, once again coming up with the peaches and cream, and I think they smelled so good through the box that when I sent them up here through UPS- Somebody ate them allthe, someone ateThe UPS driver, I think the UPS driver must have taken them.That's, that's what I'm saying.I'm gonna file that claim and make that allegation.I, so here's a question for you- Yeahas another business owner.Yes.What's in it for Olipop to kinda do this partnership?Like, how do you, how do you approach that partnership?Or do you know the founders, and you guys are like, "Hey, let's do this collab together.This could be beneficial for both of us"?I, I think they, theyyeah, they're a bigger brand than us- Yeahobviously.They're huge.Right?Otherwise, you, you, everyone would be talking about Good Wipes and Olipop, right?And so, um, they're amazing.I think they saw the vision initially of guts and butts and supporting gut health and butt health, and we're one body- I like thatrather than just, "Oh, you know, this is for your stomach.This is for your butt."It's like, "Hey, let's do something together.Mm-hmm.Make it fun.Collaborations are really exciting."When we told them that and we were gonna present to Walmart, I think they were excited, 'cause they do very well at Walmart.But, you know, why not get them in across, in another category and continue their reach?And, and, you know, the, with licensing, there's ob- obviously one party gets, gets paid, and then the other gets the sales.Mm-hmm.And so, uh, I think, I think they were just, more than the monetary compensation, they were really aligned with the vision of what we were doing, the story we were telling.Mm-hmm.And the effort that, and energy that our, our marketing team and brand team put behind the launch, a lot of collaborations you'll see, you see one Instagram post or a TikTok reel, and it's like, "Oh, that's cool.I'll buy that," or forget about it.With us, what Good Wipes did was we went the extra mile.We'd done full photo shoots.We did a full video with DJ D Lisa.He, uh, he goes on tour with the Jonas Brothers.We had Jack's Day in the Life, so we worked with creators that we've been working with for over a year.We put a full-scale production behind it.We released a commercial.Um, Walmart dotOr Walmart actually put Olipop and Good Wipes on their Instagram page, which is crazy.It was Good Wipes, Olipop, Super Mario, and Ben Stiller.Like, we're in really good company.Yeah, yeah.A- and, and we re-skinned our Porta Palace, which is our golden Porta Potti that we take to events, and we re-skinned it in the peaches and cream.So we went all out with it, and I think that also won the attention of Olipop to say, "Oh, these guys are not messing around.They're not just using our name.They wanna put energy behind- Surepushing this narrative, and we will actually get some benefit out of it."Yeah, I, I think there's a lot of times where, like, collaborations and stuff fall flat because people aren't putting up, forth the effort- Exactlythat needs to be put.But, yeah, I see it all the time, and we will do collaborations with people, and we're like, "Could we just get a little bit more out of you?"Yeah.You know?Like- Yeahbecause when I do it, I w- I wanna always overdeliver.Yeah.When we partner with a brand, I'm like, "All right, how can we give you the most bang for your buck?"For sure.Do you want social?Do you want newsletters?Do you want, you know, uh, you know, how big do you want the footprint to be at the event?Do you want, you know, uh, banners and shit?Like, let us know, because I wanna go all out.Yeah.And we can make this thing, like, legit.Yes, and you earn a good reputation for someone to, toYou know what I mean?Like, it's, it's, it's silly not to do that in my opinion.Especially when you're own, you're your own boss, right?You're in charge of creating your own revenue streams.Yeah.You're in charge of doing all this stuff.So there had to be a point, I, I love this question- Mm-hmmfor so many different founders.There had to be a point, and we'll go through both, the, the up and the down, but what was the point where you're like, "Holy fuck," when you said to your partner, "We're gonna make real money here.We're, we're doing something"?What was that moment?I think there was a, a few.What, we're definitely saying it now this year, where- For surewith Wet Jan- you know, our, our SVP of marketing, Meredith Dean, came and said, like, "I wanna do Wet January.I wanna do this collaboration."And y- she has, you know, our, our full trust.And she, and she took the, the team, and they overdelivered, right?So it's, it's-Having our team be empowered, and of course, you know, Charlie works with them.Like, we're all working together and collaborating.I think that's, it's really important.But these, both of these 2 just turning around and saying, "Whoa, these, these actually worked really, like, better than we thought," I think was a cool moment.Mm-hmm.In the past, I think it was getting into some of these retail locations after 6 years being, trying to get into Kroger, thinking we had a yes in 2016, then getting completely shut out from conversations till 2024.And we, or 2022, '23, and having them say, "Hey, yeah, we, we want you," and then starting to get one retailer, the next retailer, because our sales velocities- Mm-hmmin each retailer were going higher.Sure.We were like, "Wait a second.We, we do have a brand here."'Cause we're not doing a lot of paid marketing behind this.We have an organically functioning brand on a retail shelf.So what was the moment where you're like, can't do this anymore.We, we're not, we're not hitting the trajectory"?'Cause we talk about this all the time.I feel like sometimes we do shit and it falls flat, and I'm like, whyLike, I'll go home and I, I, I haven't cried since my father dies, but there, since my father died, but there are points in my life with the business where I'm like, "Why are we not, like, penetrating the market?"Yeah.Right?Like, how could- Like, why are we not killing it?Why- Yeah.Yes.Yeah.I, I think there's one moment that I remember, just it's bringing me back to New York, where we were doing our, our first fundraising, and that must have been in 2017, I think, or 2018.Mm-hmm.We were still super small, had some traction, not a lot of traction, and we were, we were courted by, and this was our fir- first experience with this.There was a company in town that was saying, like, i- in New York, and, and they had a banker, and they were saying, "Hey, they're really trying to make acquisitions."And we were like, "Oh, we're really just, we're really just raising right now," and thought I could get them to, to wanna invest, and we kept going back and forth.And then they finally put for- just, like, I came up here, started talking to them.They finally put forth an offer, just to, like, see what they would say, and they said, I think they were like, "Yeah, we'd be willing to buy it for a million dollars."And we were already more than a million dollars in sales.Yeah.And that, I, that was a 2prong moment where, 1, I was banging my head against the wall because the fundraise was so hard and like, oh my God, even these guys who were acting like they're gonna buy us are giving us a throwaway offer, pretty much to have us say no to them.Uh, but also, damn, like, th- this is, this is really hard.This is really hard.But then it also gave us clarity at, after, after a few days of sulking and saying, "Wait a second.We're not, we're not running the company to, to sell to these schlubs over here."We're, we're running the companyThey're nice, they're nice people.We're running the company to build a mega legacy brand- Mm-hmmand to wipe everyone's butt clean in America, change the way that people are wiping in their restroom routines.So that was a defining moment of being in the trough of our emotions and then saying, "Screw it.I don't care how long this fundraise is gonna take.We're gonna run through brick walls, we're gonna take the pain, and we're gonna figure it out."And we have over the past 10 years since that point.So let's take it back a little bit.Yeah.You show up, you're you, you have the success you have now.There's a kid in the audience at Winter Park High School.Oh.Happens to be you.Name drop, look at that.And what do you think your younger self, if you would've told him, like, "Hey, this is, this is the career path you're gonna be," because I'm sure youWhat, what did you go to school for?Entrepreneurship and finance.Did you think you'd be selling ass wipes to people?It's a funny question.It's not that big of a surprise, actually.Yeah.My, my dad always thoughtHe always, he had this different idea for selling butt wipes.He's like, "I, I think you could do, like, kinda like a college angle, like wiping your butt with the other team or something."So he was always encouraging me to do that.Yeah.It wasn't, like, the one thing I knew I was gonna do.I didn't really have a vision.But it's, it's not terribly surprising.But your, like, 16-year-old self, 17-year-old self- Yeahlike, what were you hoping to do?Like, for me, I wanted to be a pro wrestler.If you would've asked me in high school- YeahI would've been like, "I'll maybe make it to the fucking WWE or something."I, I thought I was gonna be playing basketball, and that dream di- In the NBA.Yeah.Oh, yeah.Oh, yeah.And I thought- That was just as bad as mineI was supposed to be 6'4", or 6'6", then 6'4", and then I was just stuck at 5'11".And we're like, "All right.I think we're gonna be topping out at 6'2"," and it's like, I made it to 5'11" and 7/8.That's where I, that's where I ended.I say 6 foot.I mean, I'm always wearing shoes.And then when I didn't make theI made the freshman team, and then got called up to JV, then the, at Winter Park, then the next yearAnd we have NB- uh, Austin Rivers, we have NBA players from, from, uh, Winter Park.And then the, and they're younger than me, but the next year when I didn't even make JV and I was, like, out of shape and fat and smoking cigarettes with my, my boys and partying on the weekends starting on Thursday, I just, like, didn't realize, but that, any dream, I mean, dreaming of high school basketball-out the window, right?So, I, I, I don't, I didn't have, like, a vision of what I was gonna do, but I, I didn't think it was explicitly, am I gonna be selling wipes?But in hindsight, it's not, it's not that surprising.So after you realized that, you know, you, you went in, obviously, all in on the dream.Yeah.And you're at this point.When did you start to turn around your health and wellness?Where and how has that contributed to your success as an entrepreneur?Yeah.I've, I've had, I've had a very interesting journey with health and wellness where I've, I've been very up and down with it.Mm-hmm.So there'd be times when, like I said, during high school, I, I got fat.I would blow up, and then get really skinny, and blow up, and get r- just like an accordion with my-with my midsection, like, boom.And in college, there were periods of times where I would blow up, get really skinny, blow up, get really skinny, and then towards the end of college, my co-founder and I got very serious about working out, and we were almost like pseudo bodybuilders.Like, living that lifestyle is very popular at Florida State.Heavy in supplements.And so we started working with this company called Complete Nutrition, which is now defunct, but we were, ended up being franchisees traveling around the country.It was a high-end spinoff of GNC and Vitamin Shoppe.Yeah, yeah.And so we would sell our own products.So we were super into it, and that's where we actually got, caught the bug for proper ingredients, nutrition, and working with consumers one-on-one to understand their needs and what they really want.So there were really awesome benefits for that that transcended with us- Mmto take that consumer first mindset to Good Wipes.And then I would say, you know, again, being an entrepreneur, you get stressed sometimes, you don't work out as much, you eat like shit.I've gone through those accordion periods, but now very serious about mental health.Walking is huge.Uh, cardio is, is very important, 'cause you just feel like if you're not running or walking enough, like, the next time you run, you're huffing and puffing.Yeah, yeah.Right?And so now I'm into spearfishing.Charlie, my partner, does, uh, ultra-marathons.So I, I think it's, it's mental, it's like mental meets physical health- Mm-hmmall wrapped in one holistic together, and, and I have to have it.I have to have it for at least my mental health just to feel good every day.Makes you a better operator.Yeah.Makes you a better operator.How important is keeping the humor in the brand, and has there been something that you might have said?Because the fucking world's offended by everything.Yeah.I mean, there's constantly, I'll get people being, "Oh, that was offensive."It's like, "Fuck off.Get a sense of humor."Yeah.I think you guys do a really nice job of keeping the humor in there.Has there been a time where you felt like maybe you guys crossed a line and people got offended, and you're like- Uh, we, we-you had to pull back a little bit?we go with PEACH, which is playful, empathetic, approachable, cheeky, and honest.Mm-hmm.And we keep guidelines around that.And I would say we were at probably overly restrictive for a while, and then the past 2 years have loosened up and said, "Hey, you know, we don't have a rigorous approval process for Instagram or TikTok."And, and we leave that to the creative team and, like, it's not like I'm writing, doing copywriting, which allows me to kind of leave my voice, King of Wipes, doing, like, saying my own thing f- as like a sub funnel, bringing people to the brand.Mm.But letting the voice really, you want the brand to be bigger than any one person, and I think our team has, has stewarded the voice in a really good way where we can have fun, but also maybe cross a line for some people.We actually had someone write in, "I hate your new packaging.the marketing has gone too far."Like, and we're, it's like, a- all right.W- you have to be willing to lose a few households or customers.And it's not like we're, we're in your face.We're, we still keep that playful, approachable mentality, but sometimes, I mean, look, if you're talking about butt wipes, it, it's gonna, if you're talking about your asshole or your anorect or whatever you wanna call it, you're gonna put some people off, right?But I mean, listen, it, anybody who gets offended or has the time to write a fucking Yelp review or write into you about an offensive joke, it's like they're probably a lonely idiot anyway.Um- 100%.Yeah.But the, the design aspect, I mean, you guys have done such a great job.As somebody who's- Thank youdoes a lot of the creative for our brand- Yeah.I love the logo, by the waythank you very much.I appreciate that.Yeah, I take a lot of, uh, take a lot of pride in, like, the artwork and such.Yeah.For, are you, how hands-on are you guys with that?And from a creative point, I think when I look at this brand, I'm like, have you tapped into, like, high level c- do you know who Jeff Dye is?I do, yeah.The, yeah.He's a comedian.Yeah, yeah.I think he'd be, like, a great spokesperson for you guys.He's very funny.Yeah.He's very funny.I, like, I love his sense of humor, and I feel like it ties really well into theUm, but, like, how important is it for you to have, like, a lot of say over the creative and, like, what gets said?Like, are you on the, the ground floor taking care of all that?I, I'm not.I, I get to be a witness, but it's, it's instilled from principles that we had very early on, which is this brand needs to be aesthetic, needs to look good in the bathroom- Mmand design is gonna be a core pillar of us.And Maria, like I said, who's been with us for 10 years, has done such a good job of-Shepherding that and being i- in charge of that, and really making sure design was at the forefront of what we do.Mm-hmm.We have 3 creative, uh, graphic designers and, and creatives on the team that are just cranking all the time and coming up with really fun stuff that allows the brand to be playful and, and actually get outside of, like, the normal packaging standards that you see- Mm-hmmbut, uh, but still have fun with it.So I'm not directly involved with it, but I get to be a cheerleader every time we do something cool, and then we, we post it, and itWe're starting to have a lot of things go viral now, which is really sweet.So when it comes to, I think, the hardest question for a lot and people who work in their own business- Yeahand have this, like, you know, dog mentality, it's hard for them to package up what success looks like- Yeahand, like, where it starts and where it ends.Yeah.What does that look like for you?Can you neatly package up like, "Hey, if we sold this brand for $50 1000000, I'd be happy, and then I could do whatever"?But I think there's so many people who just don't know when to stop.Yeah.You know?And you keep going and going and going.So doesW- what does that look like?What does success look like to you?If you could package it up and just say, "All right, this would be it."It's a very long-term goal.IWe think that we can be the leading brand in flushable wipes in the next 6 to 8 years.Mm-hmm.It's gonna take some time, but we feel like we have the legs, the team, the brand, the product to be able to do it, and the market tailwinds, and we think we can be a billiondollar company.Now, whoWho's yourWho's your Goliath in this?Is it Huggies?Is it- It's t- it's toilet paper.There are other flushable wipe brands.IYou know, for some reason, I can't remember them.But, um, toilet paper is reallyThat's what we're going after, is it's really share versus toilet paper.Mm-hmm.And so that's what the holy grail is.Because we can see continuous chipping away at that market- Mm-hmm34% of our consumers have given up toilet paper completely or very sparingly use it.Knowing that we are bringing new users to the category and we continue to see that year over year- Mm-hmmwe know we have the legs and the momentum to be able to achieve the goals that I just mentioned.I'll tell you what.At home, I don't even have toilet paper.Me neither.I have- Me neither.I have- That's what I'm talking about.I just orderedI think it comes from Amazon.It comes in a box of, like, 6 or 8.Yeah, the 8pack.Yeah, the 8pack.With the travel.Yeah.Yeah.Yeah, and it comes with the extra travel pack.Yeah.So I order that all the time.Thank you.Yeah.I love it.Now, I have a question for you- Yes'cause I'm tr- I'm sure you got your balls broke about this, because there's a lot of fucking Karens out there.How many people ask you about the environmental effects of this?I think the number one question that we still get is around flushability.Yeah.And just going back to the te- to the testing and what you have to do before you release a product like this to market, the flushability standards have continued to get more stringent.Oh, for sure.We now follow international wastewater standards, so it's internationally recognized, uh, explicitly in the United States, IWSFG, and it's a 7test protocol that mimics what would go on in, let's say, a New York City, uh, plumbing system, wastewater system.And so you have to, you have to do that, and we, we test from every single batch to ensure that the formula and the substrate are consistent every single time to pass atIt's supposed to be 80%- Yeahpass rate.Our standard is 95%-plus.Yeah.IIt seems like you guys are pretty on top of yourObviously, like you- Yeahyou've done all the other testing for it.For sure.Why wouldn't you do the testing for that?You're putting so much money into this product.That's when I say there's probably somebody out there who's probably breaking your balls about it.But j- just hearing you talk about the product, how much you've invested in it- Yeahhow much you care about thewhat you're distributing- Yesout to people, I'm sure you've thought of it.It's not like, "Oh, we forgot how it's gonna go down- Oh, nothe toilet."You, you ain't doing that.Yeah.No way.So- No waydoes it break down?I mean, howWhat, what does that look like?Yeah.So the wipe itself is 100% bla- plant-based, made of viscose and plant-based fibers, uh, wood pulp.And so the way that it's, it's actually put together, uh, is a special metho- method called hydro entanglement.What that means is you're not using air or glue or plastic or heat to bond the fibers together.So we're able to make that claim that it's safe and- Does it make it more expensive to create the product?I was just gonna say, it, it, it requires a more upfront invest- investment from the entire supply chain.Mm-hmm But as a, as an industry, everyone very quickly recognized, hey, it's worth the investment becauseand like, w- a lot of people are gonna take a little bit of a hit- Mm-hmmbecause of the tailwinds in this market and that consumer wants it.The consumer needs this.We need to level up our game on, on product innovation and quality, so let's, let's do both at the same time, and that's paying dividends now with an increasing market share for the company, for our company and the category as a whole.Has there been any celebrity or, I mean, I feel like politicians nowadays are like celebrities, 'cause that's what they're all trying to be.Yeah.Has anybody reached out to you and been like, "Man, I love wiping my ass with your shit"?Weoh, my gosh, I feel like I, I've heard DJ Khaled likes it.Dwyane Wade likes it.Uh, Murda Beatz.Murda Beatz, the, the amazing hip hop producer, now releasing house tracks with, uh, with Prosper.Mm-hmm.He, he's actually an investor.2 friends likes the product.So we, we do get rumblings that there's people that, that really- That's all, yeahlove Good Wipes.So when you get somebody like that, for instance- Yeahwe had a guy who played for the Yankees hit us up, and he's like, "Hey, man, love your Strong New York here.Yeah Could you"And we were like, "Yeah, send him a box of shit."Yeah.Send him whatever he wants.Do you guysIs that what hap- I mean, because there's some people out there who might be hearing this and they're like, "Oh, let's reach out to Good Wipes."They'll reach out to you guys- Yeahand be like, "Hey, send us a box of shit."Yeah.You know?Hit, hit me up.Hit me up.Yeah.DM me, DM the brand, and w- we'll get you sorted.We'll, we'll send a box.Y'all's is still on the way.There's a couple hats in there.We're, we're waiting forI- There's gearI can't wait to wipe my ass with this.Uh, I sent peaches and cream.This smells pretty good.I sent peaches and cream.Good.And now do these, every, every, uh, uh, kind of collaboration or like scent you'll have in every form, right?It, they're not like exclusive to just the small packs?No, no, so those are actuallyYou can buy them in the big packs.Again, IThey were supposed to be here for this very conversation.You can get them at Walmart exclusively.So we did a Walmart exclusive.Okay Walmart's actually talking about at their growth summit, I found out yesterday, which is super cool.Where's that?It's in Bentonville.Okay So I, I had a, a former broker friend reach out and say, "Hey, the SVP of consumables at Walmart- Yeahjust mentioned you guys- Okayand highlighting successful colla- I figured they'd have it somewhere offsite because I feel like everybody that, who works at that company has to live in that town.They love it.So, yeah.They love it.Yeah.There's, there's data- It makes-there's trails, there's nature, there's- YeahWalmart pays the bills.Have you been out there?I have been a few times.And?I mean, it's great going to the big blue building.Could somebody live there and not work for the company, or would there be a point of living there?I heard they're starting to invest more infrastructure- Really?there, and, like, they're building AI centers and stuff.It's actually, it's, it's definitely cooler than, than you would think on its surface of- Mm-hmmif you're used to population density in the Northeast and you're, you're told to move to Bentonville, Arkansas, it's, it's ayour dollar goes far.Your dollar goes far.It, it, it's actually a cool spot.There's good restaurants there.So with theyou know, and this is, you know, we'll kind of wrap it up here.Sure.So many people are in fear of AI.Yeah And your business obviously, you know, I'm, I'm sure machines will get better and they'll be able to produce the products more, but how do you think AI is gonna affect your company and yourAnd there's probably people on your team who you could probably replace their jobs with AI.What, what's your thoughts on that one?Uh, the, the, the, what, what we think is, we think that it's a tool that can catalyze people's work rather than a replacement for work.Okay So in other words, I could build agents that act asand I haven't done this yet, but this is what I'm exploring personally- Mm-hmmjust as a test before we talk to the team.But the, I know the team's already using it.They're using it for reporting.They're using it for ad hoc reporting.They're using it for supplemental reporting, for graphics and visuals.I'm using it for aggregating outreach for different, different causes that we're working on.Mm-hmm.Um, I, I feel like w- we can start to supplement the team with agents that can help me work on things that otherwise I'd have to do manually.So that's how I'm looking at it more than it's gonna replace, you know, X, Y, Z person.But also we're, we're not, we're not looking to constrict our team.It's just like if we wanted to hire someone else, another graphic designer, okay, well, we have 3 amazing graphic designers.Why don't we have them utilize and experiment with AI before we go hire another one?Mm-hmm.That's more how we're looking at it.Well, I, I've noticed that you could tell when there's AI in artwork.Yeah.And one of the best ways I've heard it explained is sometimes you s- notice AI and something just doesn't sit right.It's almost like there's no soul involved.It's an uncanny valley.Yeah So it's just close enough, but it's, it's off a n- a little- Yeahenough to where a human will recognize and say, "I know that's not an actual human."Mm-hmm.There, there's something off about it, and it creates like a, internally the sensation of distaste, distrust, and disgust.Yes.Yeah.It's funny you say that, because when during the pandemic, and everybody's talking on computers, there was still that sense of loneliness because your brain c- does adapt to this.Yes.And when you're seeing it through a screen, there's still that sense of distrust or not fully understanding what's going on.A- AI is gettinglike, when you're talking to it, it's getting really good.If you're using it to write an Instagram post or a LinkedIn post, I could see it the f- the third word in.Yeah So I don't use it for that, but when you're talking to it and working with it-It definitely is starting to, to become more humanized.Yeah.Yeah, it's pretty wild.It's scary.And we- It's scary, yeahwe were talking yesterday, I wasOne of my clients is a computer programmer, and he was saying that, he goes, "Yeah."He goes, "Eventually, it's gonna get to the point where these robots linked with AI, people are gonna fall in love with them, and it's gonna be like talking to another human."Oh, 100%.Yeah.I mean, people are already using it for therapy and, like, I use it in a quick pitch if I'm, if I need to talk, I'm like, "Hey, what do you th- what do you think about this?"Yeah.And they'll at least paint a few different avenues, and maybe you discard them all, but at least you had a thought- Yespartner.You get somebody else's opinion.Get someone else's opinion.Yeah.And, and it's not someone else, it's you get other opinions from- The internetthe internet.Yeah.And, and a lot of times they're not bad.Mm-hmm.Right?So, like, there are use cases for it.It's pretty wild.Yeah.What are you looking forward to in the next 6 months to a year with the business?Riding the wave, continuing to get the word out there, continuing to work with cool creators, going to Strong AF Fest, getting out there, wiping booties.We are finding a lot of success.Our mission this year is really to continue driving that fame and awareness, and our team has done an amazing job doing it so far to date.Mm-hmm.I think we, we have runway to continue to build off that.Maybe a couple more LTOs coming out later this year, not sure, we'll see, that are similar to the, uh, peaches and cream, and just keep having fun with it.The, you know, we always talk about, we'll do a round table and I'll say, "All right.If we could have anybody come to the event, who would you guys wanna come?"And everybody will meI'm always like, "I'd love to have Arnold," or like- YeahJoe Rogan or somebody like that.What would be that situation or person, or what would it be this year that if you could make happen tomorrow,Like, who?Who or, like- What?Yeahor like, you're at fucking Burning Man and everybody's wiping their ass with your- That would beI think one day it would be cool,Our team has done such a good job with events and activating at events.Mm-hmm.When I look at some of the events that, and no disrespect to them, I start thinking, "What if we had our own event?"There you go.That is, I think, the real cool thing.Like, we have the people, the talent, and the contacts to put together our own festival.That's what I think would be really cool.Maybe a, a 3year goal, but I, I do think that we have the brand power.We're building the brand power to be able to do that.Music, art, like what would be- Everything.Everything.Music, maybe a little fitness and wellness, some breathwork in there, some breath holds.That's just my personal thing, but- Well, I got an event coming up in September if you wanna help with that one out.We're out.We're coming.I'd love to have you at that one.Where can everybody find you?How can everybody reach you?Let's talk about the brand first.@goodwipes, G0DWIPES, anywhere.Buy them Walmart, Amazon, Target, Crozer, Crozer, TikTok shop.You can find- Tarjay.You can find me, sammarcus1forever on Instagram.I, I have different names everywhere, but just find me there.Ask for some samples.If you're famous enough, we'll get them to you.Well, guys, thank you so much.As always, like, share, subscribe with your friends.Check out Good Wipes.My ass, I promise you, is cleaner than it ever has been before, because I've been using Good Wipes for a very long time.Kenny, thank you for having me.I sniffed his butt earlier, and to make-sure that he was telling the truth, and it smells absolutely delicious, just like peaches and cream.It smells like peaches and cream.If I had these sooner, I would have wiped with them even more.Love it.Uh, but guys, as always, thank you so much.Uh, grab yourself a can of CELSIUS, LiveFit.Check out MerrickHealth.com.Use the code Kenny for your first initial visit with them.And as always, stay strong.