From Startup to Wunderbrand

Hosted by Nicholas Kuhne

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Episodes

217

Latest episode

Aug 2026

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EN-US

About the show

Are you are struggling to build or grow your brand? Nicholas Kühne cuts through the noise of digital marketing, drawing on his experience with global brands and agencies. Each conversation is current and practical, delivering straight-to-the-point brand insights you can use immediately. Your brand is your most important business asset—learn how to build it the right way.

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60 recent

October 28, 202619 min

From White Claw to Mocean: Building an energy drink in a crowded category

Tony Viera, Chief Energy Officer at Mocean, joins us to discuss the realities of the beverage industry. After a career mastering quality control and brewmaster operations at Anheuser-Busch, Tony shares the lessons he learned while turning White Claw into a global phenomenon. We look at the specific challenges of finding a unique white space in a crowded market and why functional ingredients like shiso are driving current consumer trends. This conversation covers the practical side of startup growth, from navigating the difficulty of securing shelf space without a pre-existing social following to the importance of pivoting away from your first idea. Tony highlights how intentional product innovation and operational discipline allow founders to compete with established giants, even when starting from a hospital gift shop concept. Website: https://drinkmocean.energy Work with Tony Tony runs Drink Tank LLC, a consultancy covering formulation, operations and leadership coaching for beverage brands. Email: tony@drinktankllc.com Subscribe for weekly brand building breakdowns, and let me know in the comments what industry you want to see analyzed next. Connect with me on: All my links Become a guest Sign up for Riverside Get Descript #DigitalMarketing #Branding #PersonalBranding #MarketingInsights #SocialMediaStrategy Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

August 18, 202628 min

Marketing to Mindstates

From pressure-washing businesses to global CPG giants, Will shows how temporary mind states, nine core motivations, and simple laddering conversations let you craft messages that cut through the filter of the non-conscious mind. In a world drowning in AI-generated content, understanding goals, motivations, approach and cognitive biases is the difference between noise and real behaviour change. Mindstate Group: https://mindstategroup.com Will on LinkedIn (case studies and ongoing thinking) Timestamps 00:00 – The number one marketing mistake 01:30 – Why traditional research fails 04:00 – The shift to non-conscious science at PepsiCo 07:00 – Have brains changed since COVID? 09:30 – Why small businesses need this more than big brands 13:00 – The SunChips story and narrative psychology 17:30 – People buy feelings, not products 19:30 – What’s next: AI + mind states and the new book 22:00 – Personalisation fatigue and the transparency trap 25:00 – Fear marketing and why it backfires long-term 27:00 – Where to find Will Connect with me on: All my links Become a guest Sign up for Riverside Get Descript #DigitalMarketing #Branding #PersonalBranding #MarketingInsights #SocialMediaStrategy Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

August 17, 202624 min

The Future of Experiential Marketing: AI, Robots, and Beyond

DMA Events - https://www.dmaevents.com Buy and Rent Robots - https://www.buyandrentrobots.com Digital Mirror - Experiential Marketing - https://www.digitalmirror.ca Rich E Foltys - LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rich-efoltys LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rich-efoltys Website - https://www.dmaevents.com Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Richard E Foltys and DMA Events 2249:58:37 Why live events remain vital in a digital world 4444:25:30 Maximizing trade show presence with engagement tactics 6888:52:17 Using photo booths for entertainment, branding, and data 11666:38:59 The power of AI in content creation and image enhancement 14749:59:05 Innovative AI video applications for events 15555:32:26 Using lineups and themed activations for brand awareness 16749:59:08 The future of robotics in experiential marketing 20611:06:03 Types of event robots and their applications 23833:19:29 Renting and deploying robots globally for events 25472:12:50 Merchandise and giveaways as engagement tools 28055:32:57 The next 18 months: Robots and AI in events 28805:32:57 Creating compelling content with AI 33583:19:47 The importance of storytelling before, during, and after events 37611:06:36 Using data effectively for follow-up and engagement 39027:46:40 Exploring the digital mirror and experiential marketing services Connect with me on: All my links Become a guest Sign up for Riverside Get Descript #DigitalMarketing #Branding #PersonalBranding #MarketingInsights #SocialMediaStrategy Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

August 15, 202624 min

Selling directly from Youtube with zero platform fees.

She cut her teeth in direct-response media. From 2007 her team built ~60 channels for a restricted client and turned them into hundreds of millions in sales—many still active. Two years ago she and Matthew Pierce launched TurboRank.co to do the same focused work for e-commerce and brand clients. What’s dead in 2026: random uploads and no strategy. What works: deep diagnostics, content calendars built on winnable searches, weekly consistency, proper optimisation and off-page signals (especially Reddit). These push ranking, feed AI citations and unlock YouTube Shop—high-margin, first-party sales with zero platform fees for Shopify brands. TurboRank.co LinkedIn: Maryann Bautista Email: maryann@turborank.co 00:00 – Welcome and TurboRank introduction 01:40 – How Mary Ann cracked YouTube from 2007 03:32 – Ideal clients and the YouTube Shop advantage 06:20 – What’s dead vs what works in 2026 07:45 – Off-page marketing and AI citations 11:33 – Process from product video to sale 15:44 – Diagnostic, strategy and content pillars 19:26 – Podcast challenges on YouTube 23:21 – How to get in touch Connect with me on: All my links Become a guest Sign up for Riverside Get Descript #DigitalMarketing #Branding #PersonalBranding #MarketingInsights #SocialMediaStrategy Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

July 29, 202621 min

Stop Being the Lowest-Paid Person in Your Own Business

He’s been the hardest-working, lowest-paid person in his own businesses more than once—near burnout, building companies that no one else wanted, and scaling one to £35 million with 450 staff only to watch money leak through the cracks. That experience is exactly why he wrote The Bee Myth: how successful people accidentally build businesses that steal their lives. Right now this matters because most founders are still chasing every new AI toy while doing £10 tasks at a £100-an-hour rate. Louis shows the simple system that flips the equation—calculate your real hourly value with the 2K rule, stick the number on a post-it, and only touch work that actually pays. Everything else goes to AI-trained VAs that free time and generate revenue through lead magnets, personalised outreach, content, and meeting prep. Get the book and book a virtual coffee at louisswart.com Edit your podcasts like a pro: https://get.descript.com/mrzy10nwivuq Join me as a guest or start your podcast journey: https://www.joinpodmatch.com/nickkuhne 00:00 – Meet Louis Swart and the Ironbridge mission 01:56 – Why you become the hardest-working, lowest-paid person in your business 03:55 – Why most AI implementations fail (and the iPhone trap) 05:22 – Building a meeting-report AI in minutes with Hermes 08:46 – Where to actually start with AI in any size business 09:16 – The 2K rule that tells you what your time is really worth 13:06 – Finding the money leaks in growing companies 15:08 – Turning AI from cost-saver into revenue generator 18:43 – Lessons from the Millionaire Speaker Summit 21:09 – Where to get The Bee Myth and connect with Louis 22:04 – The one post-it note action that changes everything Connect with me on: All my links Become a guest Sign up for Riverside Get Descript #DigitalMarketing #Branding #PersonalBranding #MarketingInsights #SocialMediaStrategy Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

July 27, 202625 min

Stop chasing downloads: the single-CTA method that turns listeners into buyers

Background in computer science, persuasion and ten years of biotech software engineering. She and her husband built the business on relationships and real outcomes. Over 300 clients have chosen her approach because members stay when they get results—not when they sit in another generic platform. Most creators leave money on the table. Treat selected episodes as strategic assets with one clear call to action, reverse-engineer them for the next step in the buyer’s journey, and you turn old content into conversations and sales. Links Membership Lab + Podcast Lead Flow: https://membershiplab.com/nicholas Edit your podcasts like a pro: https://get.descript.com/mrzy10nwivuqJoin me as a guest or start your podcast journey: https://www.joinpodmatch.com/nickkuhne Timestamps 00:00 – Meet Nathalie and the problem she solves 01:27 – Why 300+ businesses choose Membership Lab 08:01 – Validate the offer before you build anything 10:26 – Podcast Lead Flow for podcasters who want clients 13:27 – The power of a single call to action 19:20 – One reworked episode → $7,500 sale 22:55 – How Podcast Lead Flow creates personalised responses Connect with me on: All my links Become a guest Sign up for Riverside Get Descript #DigitalMarketing #Branding #PersonalBranding #MarketingInsights #SocialMediaStrategy Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

July 22, 202620 min

How Groas AI trounces Traditional Google Ads Agencies

From private equity boardrooms to late-night dropshipping experiments, David used his ruthless data-driven mindset to spot massive inefficiencies in performance marketing. What started as a simple tool to dynamically match landing pages to search queries evolved into full end-to-end AI autonomy for Google Ads. The real value right now? You can connect your campaigns and literally never touch them again while the AI scales and optimises better than a full team of humans or a traditional agency. Perfect timing as ad costs rise and competition intensifies. Guest Links: GROAS: https://groas.com Contact David: dp@groas.com Edit your podcasts like a pro: https://get.descript.com/mrzy10nwivuq Join me as a guest or start your podcast journey: https://www.joinpodmatch.com/nickkuhne Timestamps: 00:02 – Introducing David Pourquery and the leap from hedge funds 01:46 – Why investment brain transfers perfectly to Google Ads 02:39 – The original landing page problem that started GROAS 04:37 – How dynamic AI landing pages work in real time 05:22 – Building full autonomous AI agents for Google Ads 07:14 – Managing brand tone of voice and copy quality with AI 08:59 – Shifting from self-serve to high-value agency and enterprise clients 09:39 – One-year journey: explosive growth, painful lessons, and pivots 13:44 – Why technical edge is dead – brand and distribution win now 16:34 – Personal branding in the AI era 21:29 – Next frontier: dominating organic AI visibility Connect with me on: All my links Become a guest Sign up for Riverside Get Descript #DigitalMarketing #Branding #PersonalBranding #MarketingInsights #SocialMediaStrategy Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

July 20, 202625 min

Scale Faster Without the Full-Time Payroll: How to Build Your Fractional A-Team

In this episode, Katie shares hard-won lessons on the biggest challenge most founders face: letting go of control and bringing in outside specialist support. She reveals why so many businesses get burnt by agencies, how to set clear expectations and KPIs even when you lack the expertise yourself, and the right way to vet and onboard talent that actually delivers. You’ll learn exactly when your “fire” is dimming and it’s time to hand off the tasks draining your joy, why fractional executives often beat full-time hires for growing companies, and how FRX carefully selects battle-tested operators who have sat in real C-suite seats managing seven-figure budgets. Guest Links Connect with Katie Peterman on LinkedIn Learn more about FRX fractional executive services Edit your podcasts like a pro: https://get.descript.com/mrzy10nwivuqJoin me as a guest or start your podcast journey: https://www.joinpodmatch.com/nickkuhne Timestamps 00:00 – Welcome & Katie Peterman’s background 01:06 – The real challenge of releasing control to outsiders 02:13 – Why agencies often fail and how to fix it 04:39 – Setting KPIs and expectations when you lack the expertise 09:39 – Taking full ownership across departments 10:34 – How FRX vets and selects elite fractional executives 15:27 – When founders should bring in help (the joy test) 18:41 – Fractional vs full-time executives 20:43 – What happens when fractional talent gets full-time offers 23:18 – Where to find Katie and FRX Connect with me on: All my links Become a guest Sign up for Riverside Get Descript #DigitalMarketing #Branding #PersonalBranding #MarketingInsights #SocialMediaStrategy Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

July 15, 202624 min

Why Persuasion Skills Will Change Your Entire Career Trajectory

From his early discovery of Dr. Robert Cialdini’s work 26 years ago, Patrick has dedicated his career to teaching the science of influence that actually works. As a certified trainer, coach, and author of How to Hear Yes More Often , he equips professionals and young adults with tools for clearer, more impactful communication. The core takeaway? Most decisions (90-95%) happen via our fast, intuitive System 1 brain. Learning Cialdini’s principles lets you give people the mental shortcuts they need to say yes quickly and confidently—whether in job interviews, sales, negotiations, or everyday life. In an AI-driven world where interpersonal skills rank as a top-3 priority, starting early can dramatically alter your career trajectory and avoid years of wasted effort. Guest Links: Website: ethicalpersuasion.com.au Podcast: Ethical Persuasion Unlocked Book: How to Hear Yes More Often Edit your podcasts like a pro: https://get.descript.com/mrzy10nwivuq Join me as a guest or start your podcast journey: https://www.joinpodmatch.com/nickkuhne *Timestamps: 00:00 – Introduction to ethical persuasion with Patrick van der Burght 00:59 – Patrick’s “aha” moment with Cialdini’s work 01:35 – Persuasion in everyday life and why it’s a learnable skill 02:50 – Why young adults and students should master persuasion early 06:07 – The problem with calling it a “soft skill” 07:48 – How the brain makes decisions (System 1 vs System 2) 12:10 – Persuasion across the customer journey and relationship stages 13:47 – Building relationships, reducing uncertainty, and creating motivation 17:07 – When to accept “no” and knowing it’s not manipulation 20:08 – Improving your odds with science-backed techniques 21:07 – Resources: podcast, book, free downloads, and training 22:43 – Why persuasion remains timeless in an overloaded world 24:17 – Final thoughts and call to action Connect with me on: All my links Become a guest Sign up for Riverside Get Descript #DigitalMarketing #Branding #PersonalBranding #MarketingInsights #SocialMediaStrategy Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

July 13, 202621 min

Your Boss Doesn't Own Your Future – Personal Branding Does

After 20+ years running a thriving agency, AI changed everything. Angie shares why your job is just one risky client, how GenXers undervalue their experience, and practical ways to turn your knowledge into multiple income streams — with real implementation, not just theory. 🔥 Ready to build your authority? Visit Ange’s site & take the Personal Brand Quiz → angedove.com 🎙 Edit your podcasts like a pro with Descript https://get.descript.com/mrzy10nwivuq 🎤 Guest on the show or launch your own podcast https://www.joinpodmatch.com/nickkuhne Timestamps: 00:00 – Ange Dove’s journey 02:14 – Why personal branding matters in the AI age 04:30 – Overcoming “nobody wants to listen to me” 06:56 – The Authority Accelerator explained 09:47 – Beating procrastination & getting things done 13:17 – 23 years as an entrepreneur 16:39 – AI disruption and identity reinvention 20:05 – Integrating your past expertise 22:41 – Global clients & next steps What you’ll learn: personal branding for GenX, building authority online, multiple income streams, side hustles after corporate, work from anywhere lifestyle. Connect with me on: All my links Become a guest Sign up for Riverside Get Descript #DigitalMarketing #Branding #PersonalBranding #MarketingInsights #SocialMediaStrategy Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.