Social Currency with Sammi Cohen

• Grant LaFontaine (Whatnot) on Building a Unicorn, Scaling with a Cofounder, and the Future of Shopping

  Grant LaFontaine says the future of shopping is here— and it’s live. Literally.  Grant is the cofounder and CEO of Whatnot—a $5 billion live shopping brand that’s shaking up the traditional retail playbook and betting big on the future of social commerce. Sammi sits down with Grant to unpack what it takes to build a unicorn; from the lesson Y Combinator taught him about working with a cofounder, to the unique way he thinks about hiring, and why user feedback is his North Star. He shares what he’s learned building in tech, what AI can and can’t do, and why a little paranoia is good for founders.  Follow Sammi on Instagram here Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter here Learn more about Whatnot here 00:00 Grant LaFontaine’s Social Currency 01:40 Understanding Whatnot and the Live Shopping Opportunity 02:48 Who Is the Whatnot Customer  04:38 Social Interactions as a Secret Weapon 11:33 The Value of Y Combinator  13:42 Finding Product-Market Fit with Funko Pop 17:29 Scaling Whatnot and Entering New Markets 19:13 The Importance of Hiring and Company Culture 26:13 Fixing Breaks and Providing User Value 26:41 Why Paranoia is an Asset in Business 29:25 Using Mistakes as Data Points 31:32 User Feedback and Product Evolution 33:39 Co-Founder Dynamics and Decision Making 37:06 Social Currency Corner 48:59 How to Show Social Currency Some Love Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• The Business of Labubu and the Power of Manufactured Obsession

  People are lining up at 4 AM, crashing websites, and dropping thousands on a fuzzy vinyl creature with nine teeth and a cult following. Meet Labubu: part toy, part fashion statement, part emotional coping mechanism. Born from a Nordic mythology-inspired art project and catapulted to fame by Pop Mart, Labubu has become a collector’s dream and a status symbol—thanks to limited drops, blind box buying, and celebrity fans like BLACKPINK’s Lisa. Today, Sammi unpacks how scarcity, nostalgia, and the chaos of modern life created the perfect storm for Labubu’s rise—and what that says about the future of fandom, consumption, and identity. Follow Sammi on Instagram here Subscribe to the Social Currency newsletter here Here’s what Sammi covers today: 00:00 Labubu’s Bizarre Social Currency 01:08 Where Labubu Came From 02:55 Scarcity as a Business Plan 04:10 The Lisa of It All 05:27 What Labubu Tells Us About the State of the World (Really)  06:31 The Future of Fandom 07:22 How to Show Social Currency Some Love Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• Loren Castle (Sweet Loren’s) on Turning a Diagnosis Into a Mission, Scaling a Food Brand and Supply Chain Lessons

  Meet Loren Castle, the powerhouse behind Sweet Loren’s—the #1 natural cookie dough brand in the U.S. Today, Sammi chats with Lauren about how a shocking medical diagnosis pushed her to turn her kitchen experiments into a multimillion-dollar business. They get into the wild ride of breaking into the food world—from the first big break with Whole Foods to juggling supply chain chaos and sticking to Loren’s mission of allergen-free, feel-good ingredients. Lauren also shares how she built Sweet Loren’s without taking a dime of venture capital, the secret to good packaging, and what’s next for the brand. If you’re an aspiring entrepreneur or just a cookie lover with big dreams, you’ll want to tune in.  Follow Sammi on Instagram here Follow Sweet Lorens here Here’s what Sammi covers today with Loren: 00:00 Loren Castle’s Social Currency 01:37 How a Health Crisis Sparked a Cookie Empire 03:22 The Taste Tests Process and the State of Clean Ingredients 05:58 The Whole Foods Deal That Changed Everything 10:56 Lessons in Scaling and Finding Processing Partners 17:54 How to Find White Space 22:47 Profits Without VCs—How She Did It 26:58 COVID, Cookies, and Supply Chain Curveballs 29:27 Branding That Sticks (and Sells) 32:00 Trendy Collabs and What’s Coming Next 37:15 Social Currency Corner: Tips for Food Entrepreneurs 43:25 How to Show Social Currency Some Love Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• Why Saks Is In Trouble — and How PE Is To Blame

  Today Sammi digs into the retail scandal that ties together private equity, power plays, broken promises, and a $2.65 billion luxury merger that's now unraveling in public. Also known as: the story of Saks.   Sammi follows the money trail to the center of Saks’ downfall: the mastermind behind the merger that would lead to the financial and reputational mess the brand is in now. This isn't a story about just one department store. It's a case study in how private equity can gut a brand, how debt can disguise dysfunction, and how small businesses are often the ones that are left holding the bag. Today Sammi Covers: 00:00 How Saks Got Here 00:33 Richard Baker: the Mastermind 01:30 The Saks and Neiman Marcus Merger 02:00 Richard Baker's Wild Real Estate Strategy 04:31 Saks' Financial Decline 08:01 Vendor Fallout 10:13 What’s Next For Saks 12:50 How to Show Social Currency Some Love Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• John Hu (Stan) on the Path to $1 Billion, the Creator Economy and Building in Public

  Think it's too late to become a creator if you don't have a social media following? Think again. According to John Hu, cofounder of Stan—a platform that helps creators turn their platform into income—the creator economy is just getting started.  Today, John shares how he’s building Stan with unicorn status in mind, what MrBeast’s business empire can teach us about the business of content, and why he is “guarded” when it comes to fundraising. This is a deep dive into the business of influence—and what it takes to turn followers into a foundation for long-term growth. Follow Sammi on Instagram here Follow Stan on Instagram here  Follow John on YouTube here Here’s what Sammi covers today with John: 00:00 John Hu’s Social Currency 00:35 Why Investment Banking Wasn’t It   04:43 How Stan Came From a Personal Pain Point 05:50 John’s Takes on the Creator Economy and Building a Business 11:23 Stan’s First Major Win 14:53 Stan’s Seed Round and Why John Is “Guarded” About Fundraising 18:36 John’s Tips on Finding a Business Opportunity  23:46 Stan's Unique Monetization Model 27:19 Behind Stan’s Customer Engagement and Content Strategy 27:38 Why Stan Personally Delivered One of Their Creators a Cake 29:23 John Answers Whether It’s Harder to Build a Personal Brand or a Company Brand 35:29 Secrets and Challenges to Building in Public  45:27 Social Currency Corner and Mr Beast 53:16 How to Show Social Currency Some Love Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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