In this episode of Unicorn Campaigns, Dave sits down with Adam, the founder of Blanka, a game-changing platform that empowers anyone to launch or scale a beauty product line with ease, zero minimums, and minimal risk.

From premium North American-made products to seamless fulfillment, Blanka merges the power of high-quality private labeling with the efficiency of dropshipping—helping creators, influencers, and businesses bring their brand visions to life.

Adam shares the journey behind Blanka’s success, revealing how the team built a product-led growth strategy fueled by SEO, discoverability, and strategic partnerships with platforms like Shopify and Wix.

He also dives into the psychology of cosmetics during economic downturns, explaining the “Lipstick Index” and how beauty products remain resilient and recession-proof.

Listeners will discover:

• How Blanka simplifies the process of launching custom beauty products.
• Strategies for acquiring high-intent customers through content and app ecosystems.
• Insights into consumer behavior, side hustles, and why small luxuries thrive during tough economic times.
• A powerful success story of a fitness entrepreneur who scaled a six-figure beauty brand by leveraging Blanka’s platform.

Whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur or an established brand seeking innovative ways to expand, this episode is packed with inspiration and actionable takeaways.

Check out Blanka: blanka.co Follow Blanka on socials: @blankabrand

👉 Hit subscribe, drop a comment, and don’t forget to check out our other shows.

📲 Follow Jake (@thewizardmarketing) and Dave (@realdeval) on all the socials.

In this candid, hilarious, and thought-provoking episode, Jake and Dave crack open one of their wildest client stories yet about marketing products—yes, it involves adult diapers... for very consenting adults.

😳 When a staff member quit over the campaign and awkward conversations abounded, it sparked a bigger question every marketer, agency, and brand rep eventually faces: Can you ethically and effectively market a product you don’t personally agree with—or would never use yourself?

Along the way, we explore:

The surprising reality of niche consumer communities

Whether being outside the audience makes you a better marketer

Stories from Viagra-Cialis infused honey, political campaigns, and furry fandoms

The tension between stereotyping vs. nuanced marketing

What makes a brand truly rebellious (Liquid Death, Wendy’s Twitter, and more)

How to market to the heretics within your audience

This episode is a masterclass in uncomfortable truths, bold branding, and the messy magic of connecting with real humans—even when things get weird.

💬 If you’ve ever wrestled with a questionable product or debated your brand’s moral line, this one’s for you. 👉 Hit subscribe, drop a comment, and don’t forget to check out our other shows:

🦄 Unicorn Campaigns – Deep dives into wildly successful marketing strategies 🍸 The Last Drop – Building fake businesses with real marketing strategies before finishing our drinks

📲 Follow Jake (@thewizardmarketing) and Dave (@realdeval) on all the socials.

In this episode of The Last Drop, Jake Tlapek and Dave Valentine kick things off with bloopers and bevs—this time, sipping on Deschutes Tropical Fresh IPA—before diving deep into their latest business invention: AWEAR, an emotionally intelligent jewelry line that tracks your mood and connects you with your social circle based on emotional syncing.

This isn't just a wearable. It’s a fully imagined social wellness platform that starts with mood-tracking rings and necklaces and ends with real-time emotional connectivity, privacy-protected passive listening, and friend alerts when someone in your circle needs a check-in—or a celebration.

They explore:

• Wearables that glow based on mood (and connect like mood rings for grown-ups).

• How to roll out a community-first, invite-only launch strategy.

• Monetization models including crypto rewards, wellness subscriptions, and Apple Watch integration.

• VC pitch considerations, team-building, and phased development plans.

• Expansion into mental health support, supplement delivery, AI-driven conversations, and potential celebrity integrations (Paul Rudd, anyone?).

• The fine line between meaningful innovation and Black Mirror dystopia.

It’s a wild ride of tech, empathy, and business smarts—so grab a drink, wear your feelings on your wrist, and don’t miss this one.

🎧 The Last Drop is part of the Vox & Coin Media Network. Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your fix. Follow Jake (@thewizardmarketing) and Dave (@RealDVal) for more.

In this flavorful episode, we crack open a cold one with Shakeel Radford, co-founder of Our Culture Brewing, to explore how craft beer can be more than a beverage—it can be a vessel for culture, community, and authentic storytelling.

Shakeel walks us through the journey of Our Culture Brewing’s partnership with Creature Comforts and how their residency program led to a third stunning can release—crafted with purpose, not just design.

We talk shop about direct-to-can printing, launching their largest 80-barrel batch, and the challenges of growing a brand that honors West African traditions with ingredients like fonio while standing out in an industry that’s shrinking.

From garage brews and competitive taste tests between co-founders, to distributing across 103+ retail locations in Georgia and beyond, Shakeel reveals what it takes to build a Black-owned brewery grounded in intentionality, representation, and high-quality beer. We also dive into the deep work of market research, flavor curation, and why Our Culture is committed to elevating others through education, grants, and transparency.

This episode is a must-listen if you care about authentic brand positioning, crafting culture, or just want to hear how four friends are changing the face of brewing—one pour at a time.

Highlights include:

The origin story rooted in friendship and community.

How farm-to-glass partnerships bring intentionality to every batch.

The blueprint for scaling through collaboration (not just capital).

The emotional weight of creating a safe space for underrepresented beer lovers.

Why their first solo-branded product may reshape the Southeast craft beer scene.

Grab your glass—this is a toast to change, craft, and culture. 🍻

What do a blank email, a shame bell, and a ruined Disney vacation have in common? In this episode of Vox & Coin, Jake “The Wizard” Tlapek and Dave Valentine dive deep into how brands big and small can bounce back from PR blunders, bad reviews, and full-blown corporate misfires—and even come out stronger.

Jake shares the hilarious story of sending a blank email to 7,000 people… and how it turned into a lead-generating conference masterstroke. The duo also breaks down:

Why mistakes are inevitable (especially when you're moving fast)

What separates brands that recover from those that crumble

How Disney turned a poop-filled disaster into lifelong brand loyalty

How Tylenol’s 1982 crisis management still sets the gold standard

Why bad reviews hurt more than good ones help—and how to respond when a rando drags your name in the comments

Plus: The power of sincere apology, how delight turns into loyalty, and the psychology behind why we forgive brands that care.

🎯 Whether you're a founder, marketer, or customer service lead, this episode is a playbook for turning your next screw-up into a story worth sharing.

🔔 Don’t forget to subscribe for more marketing stories, hot takes, and unicorn campaign breakdowns.

📣 Connect with us:

Jake “The Wizard” Tlapek on TikTok: @jakethewizard

Dave Valentine: @realdeval on TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn

🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, and more.

📡 Also check out our other shows: Unicorn Campaigns – Real success stories from real brands The Last Drop – Creative business strategy meets barstool banter #marketingpodcast #brandstrategy #crisisPR #customerexperience #VoxAndCoin #businessgrowth #contentmarketing #marketingmistakes #podcastclips

Welcome back to The Last Drop – where the drinks are strong, the ideas are stronger, and we take fake businesses way too far 🍸

This week, Jake and Dave crack open a bottle of Me Familia Flores Tequila Reposado Cristalino (with a sneaky bonus shot in the cap) and dream up one of our favorite B2B SaaS ideas yet: Refiner.

👉 Refiner is an AI-powered tool that analyzes how your team actually uses your software — identifying underused tools, time-wasting features, and efficiency black holes — and turns that data into cost-saving, productivity-boosting insights. It’s like CRO for your internal tech stack. But we don’t stop there. We dive into: How to build a product that sells itself (especially to CFOs) Why screen recording might beat API integrations The sneaky way to sell your data back to the SaaS platforms themselves The exit play (hello, Microsoft?) And why this product could evolve into a whole damn software ecosystem Oh, and we definitely pitch turning it into an AI agent training company while we’re at it. Because of course we do.

🍹 Come for the tequila, stay for the tech dreams.

🥃 Hit play, finish your glass, and if you build Refiner, we want our cut.

🎧 Don’t miss an episode — we drop every M/W/F on the Vox & Coin Network.

📲 Subscribe for more fake business brilliance. 💬 Tried the tequila? Built the SaaS? Let us know in the comments.

🎙 Follow us:

Jake “The Wizard” Tlapek → @thewizardmarketing everywhere

Dave Valentine → @realdeval (Twitter, TikTok, Insta) | LinkedIn: Dave Valentine

👀 Find more of our shows at [Vox & Coin Media Network] #TheLastDrop #B2BSaaS #StartupIdeas #TechStack #Efficiency #AItools #FakeBusinessRealVibes #TequilaAndTech

What if retail wasn’t just about selling products—but about creating community? In this episode of Unicorn Campaigns, we sit down with the visionary behind ShareFront, a revolutionary co-retail platform that’s redefining how brands show up IRL.

Our guest went from leasing stores in NYC to building curated retail ecosystems—called The Den—where like-minded but non-competing brands thrive under one roof. From international DTC brands struggling to break into U.S. retail to creatives who’ve never run a storefront, ShareFront offers a fully managed, low-risk launchpad that delivers more than just foot traffic—it delivers synergy.

You’ll hear:

• The origin story: from COVID pause to co-retail power play.

• How ShareFront matches brands with aesthetic and values alignment using proprietary tech.

• The genius behind cross-pollinating followings—where one brand’s 30k Instagram fans meets another’s 2 million.

• How department stores inspired the vibe, but not the model.

• Why today’s consumers crave something deeper—and how retail became the new religion.

Plus, discover what’s next as ShareFront explores wellness-based locations, dating app activations, and other unexpected verticals.

🔗 Learn more: thesharefront.com 📸 Instagram: @sharefront | @theden

If you’re a brand ready to build community and drive sales, this episode will change how you think about physical retail.

So... you’ve got the best football (yes, soccer) clubs in the world playing on U.S. soil, with a $100M prize on the line and somehow the stadiums are half empty. What gives?

In this episode of Vox and Coin, Jake “The Wizard” Tlapek and Dave “Definitely-Not-in-Red” Valentine break down the marketing missteps, media rights mayhem, and why Gen Z is choosing YouTube over UEFA. We talk Club World Cup confusion, live sports strategy, streaming platform struggles, and what the Savannah Bananas can teach FIFA about filling seats and capturing hearts.

👕 Spoiler: merch and spectacle matter more than you think.

💡 Topics include:

• The invisible marketing of the Club World Cup

• How FIFA lost the plot on U.S. soil

• Why the Savannah Bananas are the blueprint for sports entertainment

• The death of linear TV (except for live sports)

• What every brand can learn from banana suits, anime shoutouts, and T-ball theatrics

🎧 Listen for fun. Stay for the breakdown of how to actually build buzz, sell tickets, and make people care.

👇 Drop a comment and tell us: would you go see a $100M match in your city? Or are you streaming something else entirely?

🔔 Subscribe to Vox and Coin for more spicy takes on marketing, media, and making magic out of missed opportunities.

📱 Follow us everywhere: @thewizard.marketing | @realdeval

#FIFAClubWorldCup #SportsMarketing #VoxAndCoin #SavannahBananas #StreamingWars #SoccerInUSA #MarketingFail #ContentStrategy #BlueyIsKing