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Business & Bullsh*t: Do You Want a Good Nut by Tom Brady and Other Founder Hot Takes (EP #97)

Jul 27
2 min read

Updated: Aug 12

Watch the full episode on Youtube:

The Founderz Lounge Episode #97 with Don Varady and Steve Bon.


In this Business & Bullsh*t episode, Don and Steve are back with founder hot takes on weird products, smart brands, bad marketing ideas, and the business trends that make you stop and ask, “Who approved this?”


They break down the rise of tiny drive-thru brands like Swig and 7 Brew, why dirty soda is becoming a real category, and how prefab-style restaurant concepts are changing the way brands think about growth, overhead, and expansion.


Then Steve brings up The Ordinary’s free bus campaign in New York, a great experiential marketing idea that turned into a public headache after permitting issues left riders stranded. The lesson is simple: creative campaigns still need logistics, legality, and execution.


Don and Steve also get into fake AI startups that fooled millions, Tom Brady’s unfortunately named coconut water brand Good Nut, grocery store resets that make customers lose their minds, and the strange business of small kitchen gadgets doing massive revenue.


If you like marketing, branding, consumer behavior, founder hot takes, weird business ideas, and a little bit of business bullshit, this episode is for you.


Timestamps:

[00:00] Trailer + Intro

[00:52] Founderz Roundup

[01:22] Rise of drive-thru brands\

[05:34] Marketing campaign logistics

[09:07] Random Bullshit

[11:04] Tom Brady’s Good Nut

[12:28] Grocery store resets

[14:49] What The Hell Is This?

[14:55] Chef’n kitchen gadgets

[17:41] Final Thoughts


Key Takeaways:

• Tiny drive-thru concepts are changing restaurant development by cutting square footage, overhead, and buildout time. ~Don Varady


• “They show up on a truck in this little cube and they're built out in days. Not weeks and months, days.” ~Don Varady


• A great marketing idea still needs logistics, legality, and execution behind it. ~Steve Bon


• Fake AI brands are becoming believable because the real ones already sound absurd. ~Don Varady


• “Just because you have the metrics doesn't mean you always have to succumb to them.” ~Steve Bon


• Customer frustration is still part of the data, even when the spreadsheet says the strategy worked. ~Steve Bon


• Sometimes a strange product name is the entire marketing campaign. ~Steve Bon


• Small, weird, practical products can become massive businesses when they solve tiny everyday problems. ~Don Varady


Connect w/ Don and Steve:

Don Varady:


Steve Bon:

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