HawkeTalk

Latest Episodes:

35. Suzy Batiz: Founder, Poo-Pourri Apr 28, 2021

Show notes

If your toilet doesn't stink, thank Suzy Batiz. She's the woman behind Poo-Pourri, a fragrant oil spray that coats your commode's water.

Suzy wasn't always a leading expert in bathroom odors, though. Nor was she always a multi-millionaire entrepreneur. Suzy grew up hard. By the time she turned 21, she had already declared bankruptcy once, lived through sexual abuse, and survived a suicide attempt.

But a tough life gave Suzy one thing she needed to succeed in business — hope.

In this episode, Suzy Batiz talks about her life from abused child to self-made entrepreneur.

Listen in as Suzy and Erik chat about...

Growing up in a dysfunctional family
Plunging into depression after a second bankruptcy
Suzy's spiritual journey
The humble beginnings and growing pains of Poo-Pourri

For more interviews like this one, subscribe to HawkeTalk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

34. Daymond John: Dressing Up the Cool Kids Apr 21, 2021

Show notes

What transformed a C-average student from the Bronx into America's most famous investor?

Answer: His mom. An old van. A job at Red Lobster. And a passion for making music lovers feel special.

The fundamentals of business are the fundamentals of business — whether you sell clothes to hip hop fans, wait tables, or run a commuter van service. As a leader, you invest in other people's dreams.

Daymond John, founder, president, and CEO of FUBU and an investor on the ABC reality television series Shark Tank, talks about escaping the hood by doing something he loved.

In this episode, Daymond and Erik chat about...

- Dumpster diving for bike parts as a kid

- Getting into hip hop

- Turning normal bodyguards into walking billboards

- Why Daymond isn't just a seller of oversized jeans to rap fans… and what he really is

For more interviews like this one, subscribe to HawkeTalk on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

33. Dan Caldwell: Founder of TapouT Apr 14, 2021

Show notes

You quit the police force out of sheer frustration. But you’ve got this great side gig selling shirts at martial arts events. A few years later, by 2007, you’ve become the world’s largest distributor of MMA merchandise.

How? By being relentless.

Dan Caldwell, Co-Founder & President at TapouT, tells me his unbelievable story about accidentally sponsoring one of the greatest fights in history and getting thousands of orders an hour.

What we talked about:

DJing in junior high
Joining and leaving the police force
The crazy near misses and staggering wins with TapouT
Fans as micro influencers and choosers of logos
Billionaire Collectibles, family, and podcasting
Howard Carter and relentlessness

For more interviews like this one, subscribe to HawkeTalk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

32. Sophia Amoruso: NYT Best-Selling Author & Serial Entrepreneur Apr 07, 2021

Show notes

I’m speaking with Sophia Amoruso about her journey through life, particularly through her milestone achievements in fashion and now as the Founder of Business Class platform.

This episode looks deeper into:

Sophia’s childhood and diverse heritage
When her entrepreneurial spirit first appeared
Sophia’s first few moves toward photography and her first few jobs
How eBay created a turning point for Sophia
Navigating a business through a scale-up phase

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

31. Spectacular Smith: Creating More Millionaires Than McDonald's Mar 31, 2021

Show notes

McDonald's has made 38,000 millionaires. Spectacular Smith wants to create 38,000 + 1.

Chairman and CEO of Adwizar Inc and founder of the record label Mula Music Group, Spectacular plans to elevate the best students from Spectacular Academy, his new venture, into a franchise.

Pretty good for a guy whose mom got evicted when she couldn't pay her $28 rent.

In this episode, Spectacular and Erik chat about...

- How Spectacular's dad launched his musical and entrepreneurial careers

- Becoming a multi-platinum artist and how things hit the fan

- Building a business after getting kicked out of the house

- How Spectacular put his competitors out of business

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

30. Josh Richards: Social Media Influencer, Entrepreneur, Actor, Investor Mar 24, 2021

Show notes

He wasn't the biggest kid on the ice. Nor was he the strongest. But he worked the hardest.

Practicing 500 backhanded flick shots a day, every day, turned him into a powerhouse on the hockey rink.

He carried that same disciplined approach into social media. At age 14, he jumped from 0 followers to 100,000 in a single summer.

Josh Richards, Co-founder of TalentX Entertainment and Chief Strategy Officer at Triller, takes us on a journey from dancing on his sister's video to amassing 24 million followers on TikTok.

In this episode, Josh and Erik chat about...

- How social media became Josh's profession

- Thoughts on dropping out of high school

- The value of a great manager

- Why passion alone isn't enough to make it big (and what is)

For more interviews like this one, subscribe to HawkeTalk on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

29. Michael Gruen: Co-Founder And Vice President Of Talentx Entertainment Mar 17, 2021

Show notes

He wanted to be the richest guy in the game. In 8th grade, it was trading phones. In 9th grade, it was negotiating sports contracts. Later, he founded an influencer company, started a cryptocurrency agency, and even did a gig at the White House.

And he says… you have to love it. You can't sustain misery for 25-30 years just to build an empire.

Michael Gruen, co-founder and vice president of TalentX Entertainment and an entrepreneur since the eighth grade, shares his path from Jewish school dropout to crypto co-founder and talent executive.

In this episode, Michael and Erik chat about...

- The time Michael's dad realized he wasn't built for the system

- Graduating college at 18

- How Michael got into crypto and his long-term predictions for the market

- Why you might not want to be an entrepreneur

For more interviews like this one, subscribe to HawkeTalk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

28. Xavier Kochhar: Founder, The Video Genome Project (acquired by Hulu/Disney) and Senior Media and Entertainment Executive - AT&T/WarnerMedia, Disney, WME Mar 10, 2021

Show notes

The world is small. If you stick with anything long enough, your world will get even smaller. Until everybody knows everybody else.

So watch how you treat people. Make your company's success your success.

Because in the future, that will be your calling card.

Xavier Kochhar, a senior executive at major corporations and a builder from scratch, shares his climb from the diverse neighborhoods of New York to the executive suites of top-brand enterprises.

In this episode, Xavier and Erik chat about...

- What Xavier learned as a kid in his dad's video store

- The value of bonding through a common crisis

- How a chance meeting with a senior agent at William Morris Agency became a hinge point

- Why giving back matters so much

For more interviews like this one, subscribe to HawkeTalk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

27. Rob Dyrdek: Pro Skateboarder, Entrepreneur, Founder of the Dyrdek Machine Mar 03, 2021

Show notes

Your life consists of a series of interconnected systems. And you get to design each one of them to propel you toward your ideal life. Rob Dyrdek, founder and CEO of Dyrdek Machine, a full-service venture studio, explores this idea in his upcoming book, The Machine Mindset.In this episode, Rob and Erik chat about...

How his sister's boyfriend helped launch Rob's legendary skateboarding career
The story behind how Rob founded Orion Trucks
Pitching his way onto MTV
How Rob learned to start at the end

For more interviews like this one, subscribe to HawkeTalk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

26. Grant Cardone: Author, CEO of Cardone Capital, Founder of the 10X Movement Feb 24, 2021

Show notes

At 25 years old, he weighed just 130 lbs, had 70 stitches in his face, and was coping with one gigantic drug problem. Getting clean was the first step.

Growing rich was the second.

Grant Cardone, author, CEO of Cardone Capital, and founder of the 10X Movement, talks about his life from the day his dad died when he was 10 years old to his life now as an undercover billionaire.

In this episode, Grant and Erik chat about...

- How his dad's death changed Grant's life at 10 years old

- Grant's descent into drugs and what he learned on his way back up

- The evolution of Cardone Capital

- Mistakes Grant made along the way

For more interviews like this one, subscribe to HawkeTalk on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.