When Todd Carmichael and J.P. Iberti met at a grunge concert in Seattle in the 1980s, they were an unlikely pair. But they shared a love for great coffee, and the two friends began to dream about opening a cafe and premium roastery that would produce coffee at a higher quality than anything in the U.S. at the time. A few years later, Todd and J.P. co-founded La Colombe in Philadelphia, and went on to play a leading role in the third wave of specialty coffee in the U.S. Today, their coffee drinks are sold in stores across the country, and in 2023, La Colombe was acquired by Chobani for $900M.

TIMESTAMPS:

• 0:11:22 - Learning barista basics: like being a DJ
• 0:25:25 - Todd squats at JP’s place, they set out to sell coffee
• 0:29:48 - How La Colombe gets its name
• 0:32:40 - Launching the business in a city they've never visited
• 0:35:49 - The first roastery: no ventilation, visits from the fire department
• 0:40:29 - Pitching the coffee–uninvited–at a top French restaurant
• 0:46:48 - The trick to making a perfect espresso
• 0:53:30 - Todd takes a sabbatical: “I was suffering from my brain.”
• 0:57:40 - Expanding to more cafes and a shift from roasting to hosting
• 1:01:17 - An impasse with investors, and a bailout from Chobani’s founder
• 1:09:38 - Small Business Spotlight

Hey—want to be a guest on HIBT?

If you’re building a business, why not get advice from some of the greatest entrepreneurs on Earth ?

Every Thursday on the HIBT Advice Line, A previous HIBT guest helps new entrepreneurs work through the challenges they’re facing right now. Advice that’s smart, actionable, and absolutely free.

Just call 1-800-433-1298, leave a message, and you may soon get guidance from someone who started where you did, and went on to build something massive.

So—give us a call. We can’t wait to hear what you’re working on.

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This episode was produced by Casey Herman with music by Ramtin Arablouei. It was edited by Sarah Sarasohn. Our audio engineer was Jimmy Keeley.

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

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Patreon co-founder and CEO Jack Conte joins Guy on the Advice Line, where they answer questions from three early-stage founders about marketing and building community.

First we meet Zac from Indiana, who’s looking to grow his coffee company with a subscription offering for newlyweds. Then Rowena from New York, who wants to expand her international cooking kits for kids to all ages. And Melissa from Florida, who’s hoping to break into schools with her handwriting program for preschoolers.

And stick around to the end to hear whether the callers took Guy and Jack's advice.

Thank you to the founders of Honey Moon Coffee Co., Eat2Explore, and Adventures in Handwriting for being a part of our show.

If you’d like to be featured on a future Advice Line episode, leave us a one-minute message that tells us about your business and a specific question you’d like answered. Send a voice memo to hibt@id.wondery.com or call 1-800-433-1298.

And be sure to listen to Patreon’s founding story as told by Jack and his co-founder Sam Yam on the show in 2021.

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

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

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It started with a massive pile of razors sitting in a Rancho Cucomonga warehouse, and Michael Dubin’s chance meeting of the man who wanted to get rid of them.

In 2010, Michael was working in marketing in Los Angeles, producing online video content. As a hobby, Michael took improv comedy classes.

At a holiday party, he met a man named Mark Levine. Mark was looking for ideas to sell razors he had imported, but didn’t know how to unload.

Michael’s background in video and comedy helped him create a viral launch video for his spontaneous idea: an internet razor subscription brand called Dollar Shave Club.

Five years after launching, Dollar Shave Club sold to consumer products behemoth Unilever for a reported $1 billion in cash.

This episode was recorded in front of a live audience in Los Angeles.

What you’ll learn:

• How Michael’s early career at NBC in New York exposed him to a world of video production - and comedy
• The fateful party where Michael had to decide whether to start a company to sell razors - or to sell cake slicers
• How Michael’s gut feeling was that shaving was a sector that could use disruption - even though it meant facing down daunting incumbent players like Gillette
• Michael’s viral launch video was so good, it brought investors on board
• How to DIY fulfillment to keep an overnight success on track
• How expanding their offerings into other men’s grooming products caught the attention of Unilever and led to an acquisition offer

Listen now to hear the amazing backstory of one of the best-known early DTC brands.

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Hey—want to be a guest on HIBT?

If you’re building a business, why not get advice from some of the greatest entrepreneurs on Earth?

Every Thursday on the HIBT Advice Line, a previous HIBT guest helps new entrepreneurs work through the challenges they’re facing right now. Advice that’s smart, actionable, and absolutely free.

Just call 1-800-433-1298, leave a message, and you may soon get guidance from someone who started where you did, and went on to build something massive.

So—give us a call.

We can’t wait to hear what you’re working on.

—-----------

This episode was produced by Casey Herman with music composed by Ramtin Arablouei.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.