It seems like every company wants to bill itself as a “lifestyle brand” these days. If a company can truly integrate itself into a customer’s lifestyle – versus just selling them a single product – they can build a more powerful connection over time. But, what does that actually mean in practice?In this episode of…
Read More
The stochastic challenge Traditional software is predictable: Input A plus function B always equals output C. This determinism allows engineers to develop robust tests. On the other hand, generative AI is stochastic and unpredictable. The exact same prompt often yields different results on Monday versus Tuesday, breaking the traditional unit testing that engineers know and…
Read More
During Operation Lunar Peek in November 2024, attackers gained unauthenticated remote admin access — and eventual root — across more than 13,000 exposed Palo Alto Networks management interfaces. Palo Alto Networks scored CVE-2024-0012 at 9.3 and CVE-2024-9474 at 6.9 under CVSS v4.0. NVD scored the same pair 9.8 and 7.2 under CVSS v3.1. Two scoring…
Read More
The whale has resurfaced. DeepSeek, the Chinese AI startup offshoot of High-Flyer Capital Management quantitative analysis firm, became a near-overnight sensation globally in January 2025 with the release of its open source R1 model that matched proprietary U.S. giants. It’s been an epoch in AI since then, and while DeepSeek has released several updates to…
Read More
FOLLOW UP WITH ANDREW X: https://x.com/andrewjfaris Email: podcast@ajfgrowth.com Work With AJF Growth: https://ajfgrowth.com INTELLIGEMS Intelligems brings A/B testing to business decisions beyond copy and design. Test your pricing, shipping charges, free shipping thresholds, offers, SaaS tools, and more by clicking here: https://bit.ly/42DcmFl. Get 20% off the first 3 months with code FARIS20. MORE STAFFING Recruit,…
Read More
Chris Wichert is an investment banker turned direct-to-consumer entrepreneur. His luxury shoe brand, Koio, launched in 2015 and quickly scaled. Then the pandemic hit. By late 2022, he says, the D2C hype and funding had collapsed. He slashed costs, stabilized cash flow, and successfully exited the company. In this episode, he shares his story of…
Read More
Eighty-five percent of enterprises are running AI agent pilots, but only 5% have moved those agents into production. In an exclusive interview at RSA Conference 2026, Cisco President and Chief Product Officer Jeetu Patel said that the gap comes down to one thing: trust — and that closing it separates market dominance from bankruptcy. He…
Read More
Subscribe to DTC Newsletter – https://dtcnews.link/signup Meta changed attribution in March — and suddenly every brand’s ROAS looks worse. Chris Richards from Pilothouse breaks down what actually happened, why performance appears to have dropped 30–45%, and how brands should respond without damaging long-term growth. For DTC founders and operators scaling from $5M–$50M who rely on…
Read More
People will let AI be their therapist but not their partner, their assistant but not their manager. Gillian Katz of Hannah Grey VC joins Phillip and Brian to unpack the firm’s newest Cultural Vibrations journal and the qualitative study behind it: a read on how people are actually negotiating AI’s role in their lives, domain by domain, role by role; from anthropology to sommelier frameworks to Goodhart’s Law.
Read More
Can you really reinvent a category as established as iced tea — and scale to 15,000+ doors in just a few years?
On today’s episode, we welcome Brad Neumann, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Saint James Iced Tea — one of the fastest-growing brands in the ready-to-drink beverage space. Launched in 2022, Saint James is bringing a fresh perspective to a legacy category with organic ingredients, low-to-no sugar formulations, and bold, modern branding designed for today’s consumer.
With a background at Red Bull and Anheuser-Busch — where he became one of the youngest Directors — Brad brings deep industry experience to the table, along with a track record of helping scale beverage startups to successful exits. That expertise has fueled Saint James’ rapid rise, with the brand growing to over 15,000 retail doors and selling more than 900,000 cases in 2025 alone.
In this episode, Brad shares what he saw in the iced tea category that others were missing, how he approached building a differentiated product from day one, and the strategies behind Saint James’ breakout growth. We discuss the power of brand partnerships — including collaborations with HBO’s White Lotus, Juicy Couture, and LOOP Beauty — and how to translate awareness into real retail velocity. Brad also breaks down the realities of scaling quickly in a crowded market, maintaining brand integrity, and what founders need to know about building momentum without losing focus.
If you’re interested in the future of beverages, scaling a high-growth CPG brand, or what it takes to stand out in a competitive category — this episode is for you. Tune in now on The Kara Goldin Show.
Are you interested in sponsoring and advertising on The Kara Goldin Show, which is now in the Top 1% of Entrepreneur podcasts in the world? Let me know by contacting me at karagoldin@gmail.com. You can also find me @KaraGoldin on all networks.
To learn more about Brad Neumann and Saint James Iced Tea:
https://www.saintjamestea.com
https://www.instagram.com/saintjamestea/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradneumann/
Sponsored By:
NerdWallet – Go to NerdWallet.com/KARAGOLDIN to find the funding you deserve.
LinkedIn Jobs – Head to LinkedIn.com/KaraGoldin to post your job for free.
AT&T Business – Switch to AT&T Business at business.att.com
Chime – Join the millions who are already banking fee-free today. Head to Chime.com/KARAGOLDIN.
Check out our website to view this episode’s show notes: https://karagoldin.com/podcast/830
Read More
