Honest Ecommerce

Russell Breuer is the Founder and CEO of Spot & Tango, an innovative pet health and wellness brand that provides dogs with high quality, human grade meals, delivered direct-to-consumer. 

Russell was inspired by his dog, Jack, to create the company, which now has over $100+ million in annual revenue and has sold over 120 million meals since inception. Prior to Spot & Tango, Russell worked in private equity and held leadership positions at BerchWood Partners, Zephyr Management, and Nash & Co Capital in London. 

In This Conversation We Discuss:

[00:00] Intro

[01:43] Starting a venture as a side gig first

[03:55] Sponsor: Migrate

[05:54] Using free channels to find first users

[06:56] Iterating platforms as the business grows

[08:24] Starting local before scaling distribution

[10:47] Sponsor: Intelligems

[12:47] Failing fast to find what actually works

[15:06] Aligning growth speed to profitability goals

[18:08] Sponsor: Electric Eye

[19:17] Building innovative products to scale

[21:39] Callouts

[21:48] Learning scaling operations the hard way

[23:38] Recognizing that success is never a one-man show

Resources:

Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube

Healthy, fresh dog food delivery service spotandtango.com/

Follow Russell Breuer linkedin.com/in/russell-breuer-0b3b57

Migrate and grow more klaviyo.com/honest 

Book a demo today at intelligems.io/

Schedule an intro call with one of our experts electriceye.io/connect  

If you’re enjoying the show, we’d love it if you left Honest Ecommerce a review on Apple Podcasts. It makes a huge impact on the success of the podcast, and we love reading every one of your reviews!

Lauren Barker is the CEO and Co-founder of Uresta, the first self-managed, FDA-cleared bladder support device for stress urinary incontinence. With nearly a decade in finance before joining Uresta, Lauren brought the analytical skills to identify a massive market gap and the vision to build a solution that prioritizes women's quality of life over symptom management. 

She personally reads every customer review, using those insights to shape product development and build Uresta's highly engaged community. Under her leadership, Uresta has become an eight-figure business serving over 30,000 women. 

What is Uresta? Uresta is revolutionizing bladder control with the first self-managed bladder support designed specifically for modern women, with no prescription or doctor visits required. Unlike traditional solutions, Uresta addresses leaks at their source, providing immediate all-day protection during physical activities like exercise, laughing, sneezing, and coughing. 

With 97% effectiveness and 90% continued use after 12 months, Uresta restores confidence, spontaneity, and dignity to millions of women.

In This Conversation We Discuss:

[00:00] Intro

[00:35] Addressing a gap in women's health

[02:19] Leaving a career to chase an idea

[06:28] Callouts

[06:38] Finding success as an operator

[08:40] Sponsor: Klaviyo

[10:47] Validating a market before scaling up

[14:50] Sponsor: Intelligems

[17:05] Building early trust through creators

[19:45] Sponsor: Electric Eye

[20:54] Setting realistic budgets for paid ads

[22:04] Using social proof for different markets

[24:52] Marketing a product people deny

Resources:

Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube

Bladder support for women https://uresta.com/  

Follow Lauren Barker https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-barker/  

Follow Uresta https://www.instagram.com/myuresta/?g=5  

Get your free demo https://www.klaviyo.com/honest

Book a demo today at https://www.intelligems.io/

Schedule an intro call with one of our experts https://electriceye.io/connect

If you’re enjoying the show, we’d love it if you left Honest Ecommerce a review on Apple Podcasts. It makes a huge impact on the success of the podcast, and we love reading every one of your reviews!

Alissa Miky is a Japanese entrepreneur and the founder of OoMee, the first seaweed-based beverage in the U.S. She’s the youngest woman ever recognized on Forbes Japan’s Top 100 list. After running a successful flower business, Alissa created the viral seaweed candy company Misaky.Tokyo, and later launched Aqua Theon, a seaweed tech company. 

In spring 2025, Alissa turned her proprietary Seabiotics™ technology into the star ingredient for OoMee -- the functional beverage bringing the wellness benefits of agar-agar to America's beverage aisle.

In This Conversation We Discuss:

[00:00] Intro

[01:58] Pioneering a niche in an untapped market

[03:43] Using cultural roots to drive innovation

[06:51] Sponsor: Klaviyo

[08:52] Sizing up categories before committing

[10:57] Callouts

[11:07] Using competitor research as winning edge

[14:25] Sponsor: Intelligems

[16:23] Letting the product do the talking

[19:44] Knowing when to launch and building

[21:51] Sponsor: Electric Eye

[23:00] Using intellectual property for passive income

[25:43] Turning disadvantages into entrepreneurial fuel

Resources:

Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube

Marine plant-based company https://aquatheon.com/en

Marine-powered functional beverage https://oomee.life/

Follow Alissa Miky https://www.linkedin.com/in/alissa-miky-21a8673b

Migrate and grow more https://www.klaviyo.com/honest 

Book a demo today at https://www.intelligems.io/

Schedule an intro call with one of our experts https://electriceye.io/connect

If you’re enjoying the show, we’d love it if you left Honest Ecommerce a review on Apple Podcasts. It makes a huge impact on the success of the podcast, and we love reading every one of your reviews!

Tamara is the Founder & CEO of Bark Bistro Company, creator of Buddy Budder—a line of 100% natural peanut butters made for dogs. What began in her kitchen has grown into a nationally distributed brand available DTC, Ecommerce, independent retailers, and now expanding into mass and grocery channels. She is passionate about blending innovation and creativity, brand design, and business strategy to make products that bring joy and health to pets while scaling into new retail channels. 

In This Conversation We Discuss:

[00:00] Intro

[01:37] Discovering ecommerce as the growth engine

[05:38] Solving a personal problem to spark a product

[07:18] Sponsor: Klaviyo

[09:24] Leading a category by entering early

[10:29] Choosing Ecommerce to accelerate growth

[12:10] Callouts

[12:20] Bootstrapping growth with early revenue

[13:57] Sponsor: Intelligems 

[15:56] Validating demand through review data

[18:02] Listening to customers to improve goods

[22:03] Engaging customers to co-create the brand

[23:47] Sponsor: Electric Eye

[24:55] Learning while building the business

[26:28] Accepting mistakes as part of the journey

Resources:

Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube

Healthy and natural peanut butter dog treats barkbistro.com/

Follow Tamara Coleman linkedin.com/in/tamara-coleman-07578a23/

Get your free demo klaviyo.com/honest

Book a demo today at intelligems.io/

Schedule an intro call with one of our experts electriceye.io/connect

If you’re enjoying the show, we’d love it if you left Honest Ecommerce a review on Apple Podcasts. It makes a huge impact on the success of the podcast, and we love reading every one of your reviews!

Co-founded in 2012 by Ryan Emmons, his cousin Alex Preston, a Hawaiian artist and game designer, and friend Matt Meyer, Waiākea Hawaiian Volcanic Beverages is a premium beverage company from Hilo, Hawai‘i, offering volcanic water, sparkling water, and coffee, crafted with deep respect for the land, its people, and the responsibility that comes with both. 

Rooted in sustainability, Waiākea is setting a new standard for CPG, blending exceptional taste with conscious practices. From their certified B Corp status and proprietary 100% post-consumer recycled plastic, OceanPlast®, to their community-driven Kōkua Initiative nonprofit, Waiākea is changing the way we hydrate.

Inspired by the founders' long-standing work with clean water and education non-profits, the concept for Waiākea was to move away from singular profit and towards a triple bottom line model (circular packaging, sustainable sourcing, and commitment to the community). 

Their water embodies that mission with an experience that’s natural alkaline pH, 100% BPA & PFA Free, packed with electrolytes & minerals, light, crisp, and refreshingly clean.

In This Conversation We Discuss:

[00:00] Intro

[01:25] Turning sustainability into an advantage

[03:28] Starting without industry experience

[05:49] Sponsor: Electric Eye

[07:00] Building a business from a class project

[09:45] Self-distributing to reach early customers

[11:57] Sponsor: Klaviyo

[13:56] Building trust through consignment

[15:12] Scaling distributions with good relationships

[17:06] Callouts

[17:16] Adjusting strategy based on performance

[20:47] Sponsor: Intelligems

[22:47] Managing supply chains for heavy goods

[25:01] Balancing risk with growth opportunities

Resources:

Subscribe to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube

Alkaline Hawaiian Volcanic Water waiakea.com/

Follow Ryan Emmons linkedin.com/in/ryan-emmons-8709871b/

Book a demo today at intelligems.io/

Migrate and grow more klaviyo.com/honest   

Schedule an intro call with one of our experts electriceye.io/connect

If you’re enjoying the show, we’d love it if you left Honest Ecommerce a review on Apple Podcasts. It makes a huge impact on the success of the podcast, and we love reading every one of your reviews!