Fusebox Ever wonder how brands go from “kind of a big deal” to “holy crap, how are they everywhere?” CJ Forse does. So he started asking. Ride along with this entrepreneur and creative agency CEO as he uncovers how brands jump from a few million a year to over $100 million. Hit subscribe, and figure out how to scale—without the B.S. It’s like free consulting, but with fewer buzzwords.]]> Ever wonder how brands go from “kind of a big deal” to “holy crap, how are they everywhere?” CJ Forse does. So he started asking. Ride along with this entrepreneur and creative agency CEO as he uncovers how brands jump from a few million a year to over $100 million. Hit subscribe, and figure out how to scale—without the B.S. It’s like free consulting, but with fewer buzzwords.]]> en-us false https://hellovulgar.com fbx/878680e2-f408-11ef-9a9a-16a2cd1ac1f8 Wed, 26 Feb 2025 10:45:02 -0800 S1 E1: In the inaugural episode of 'The Bad Idea for Clarity Podcast,' host CJ Forse outlines his mission to explore how businesses can scale from a few million to over a hundred million in annual revenue. Drawing from his experience as the CEO and founder of the e-commerce marketing agency Vulgar, CJ shares the three most common pitfalls that hinder businesses from scaling. Show notes and more at https://hellovulgar.com/most-common-barriers-to-scale. Need help scaling your business? Check out Vulgar, the performance creative agency founded and run by CJ. Go to hellovulgar.com. S1 E1: In the inaugural episode of 'The Bad Idea for Clarity Podcast,' host CJ Forse outlines his mission to explore how businesses can scale from a few million to over a hundred million in annual revenue. Drawing from his experience as the CEO and founder of the e-commerce marketing agency Vulgar, CJ shares the three most common pitfalls that hinder businesses from scaling. Show notes and more at https://hellovulgar.com/most-common-barriers-to-scale. Need help scaling your business? Check out Vulgar, the performance creative agency founded and run by CJ. Go to hellovulgar.com.]]> 962 false 1 full fbx/f7f6b5ca-3802-11f0-a761-ba5fa9561315 Sun, 25 May 2025 14:52:58 -0700 S1 E2: Can a company scale without selling its soul—or its equity? Peak Design did. Adam and Lawrence, the marketing duo behind the brand, map out the five chapters of their company's evolution, including the painful content gaps, the retail pivot, and how they finally found an ad agency that "got them." Tune in for unfiltered stories, actionable insights, and the occasional boating magazine shout-out. Video, show notes, and more at hellovulgar.com/peak-design-marketing-playbook. S1 E2: Can a company scale without selling its soul—or its equity? Peak Design did. Adam and Lawrence, the marketing duo behind the brand, map out the five chapters of their company's evolution, including the painful content gaps, the retail pivot, and how they finally found an ad agency that "got them." Tune in for unfiltered stories, actionable insights, and the occasional boating magazine shout-out. Video, show notes, and more at hellovulgar.com/peak-design-marketing-playbook.]]> 3955 false 2 full fbx/4621cfe2-39d8-11f0-b473-ba5fa9561315 Sun, 25 May 2025 20:38:53 -0700 S1E3: Russell Kern built and sold one of the most respected CRM agencies in the country, taking it to over 400 people inside of Omnicom while turning broken marketing programs into record-breaking growth for brands like Amex and AT&T. In this episode, he reveals the overlooked client behaviors that make or break ad agency performance. If you’re a brand stuck in the $10–$100M rut, tune in to learn how to get your agency to deliver their best work, consistently. Video, show notes, and more at hellovulgar.com/fix-ad-agency-performance. S1E3: Russell Kern built and sold one of the most respected CRM agencies in the country, taking it to over 400 people inside of Omnicom while turning broken marketing programs into record-breaking growth for brands like Amex and AT&T. In this episode, he reveals the overlooked client behaviors that make or break ad agency performance. If you’re a brand stuck in the $10–$100M rut, tune in to learn how to get your agency to deliver their best work, consistently. Video, show notes, and more at hellovulgar.com/fix-ad-agency-performance.]]> 3261 false 3 full fbx/cd898324-39ee-11f0-b46d-ba5fa9561315 Sun, 25 May 2025 22:11:42 -0700 S1E4: What do you get when you mix a killer hammock, zero production budget, and a trade show floor? A viral ad with 40 million views, apparently. Derek Tillotson, founder of Haven Tents, joins us to talk about how embracing lo-fi, unpolished storytelling turned his quirky product demo into content gold—and why a “mediocre” video might just outperform your next big-budget shoot. We talk scrappy content creation, brand growth beyond niche markets, and why sleep (not tents) is Haven’s real business. Video, show notes, and more at hellovulgar.com/viral-content-strategy-haven-tents. S1E4: What do you get when you mix a killer hammock, zero production budget, and a trade show floor? A viral ad with 40 million views, apparently. Derek Tillotson, founder of Haven Tents, joins us to talk about how embracing lo-fi, unpolished storytelling turned his quirky product demo into content gold—and why a “mediocre” video might just outperform your next big-budget shoot. We talk scrappy content creation, brand growth beyond niche markets, and why sleep (not tents) is Haven’s real business. Video, show notes, and more at hellovulgar.com/viral-content-strategy-haven-tents.]]> 3269 false 4 full fbx/2deba29c-427d-11f0-b75b-ba5fa9561315 Tue, 10 Jun 2025 00:30:00 -0700 S1E5: Joy Fan didn’t just watch retail evolve—she helped shape it. In this episode, Joy, the founder of re/tell, lays out how modern brands are rewriting the rules of retail, starting small and scaling fast. Spoiler: it’s not about building a store—it’s about building momentum. From shelf-space matchmaking to real-time messaging insights, this one’s packed. Show notes and video at https://hellovulgar.com/retail-growth-strategy-joy-fan S1E5: Joy Fan didn’t just watch retail evolve—she helped shape it. In this episode, Joy, the founder of re/tell, lays out how modern brands are rewriting the rules of retail, starting small and scaling fast. Spoiler: it’s not about building a store—it’s about building momentum. From shelf-space matchmaking to real-time messaging insights, this one’s packed. Show notes and video at https://hellovulgar.com/retail-growth-strategy-joy-fan]]> 4285 false 5 full fbx/449c8da0-50ae-11f0-b8ff-ba5fa9561315 Mon, 23 Jun 2025 21:36:05 -0700 S1E6: You think you know the tradeoff between agency and in-house. You don’t. Former agency titan turned internal marketing architect Michael Catanzaro joins CJ to talk shop: how to build an in-house creative team from scratch, why your big ideas keep getting killed, and how to make room for risk in the risk-averse world of fintech and healthcare. Oh, and there’s a cadaver lab. Real one. Tune in for truth bombs, tactical gems, and more than a few career curveballs. Show notes and video at hellovulgar.com/in-house-vs-agency-marketing-catanzaro S1E6: You think you know the tradeoff between agency and in-house. You don’t. Former agency titan turned internal marketing architect Michael Catanzaro joins CJ to talk shop: how to build an in-house creative team from scratch, why your big ideas keep getting killed, and how to make room for risk in the risk-averse world of fintech and healthcare. Oh, and there’s a cadaver lab. Real one. Tune in for truth bombs, tactical gems, and more than a few career curveballs. Show notes and video at hellovulgar.com/in-house-vs-agency-marketing-catanzaro]]> 4454 false 6 full fbx/2051f9d6-55e4-11f0-b114-ba5fa9561315 Tue, 01 Jul 2025 00:00:00 -0700 S1E7: What if you built a company not to chase millions—but to chase freedom? Beardbrand founder Eric Bandholz did just that. In this episode, Eric reveals how three simple core values—freedom, hunger, trust—became the backbone of an 8-figure brand that stuck to its guns (and beards). From dodging Target’s $200K curveball to turning blog posts into a cult following, this episode is a masterclass in value-driven brand building. Show notes and more at hellovulgar.com/beardbrand-core-values-scaling-freedom S1E7: What if you built a company not to chase millions—but to chase freedom? Beardbrand founder Eric Bandholz did just that. In this episode, Eric reveals how three simple core values—freedom, hunger, trust—became the backbone of an 8-figure brand that stuck to its guns (and beards). From dodging Target’s $200K curveball to turning blog posts into a cult following, this episode is a masterclass in value-driven brand building. Show notes and more at hellovulgar.com/beardbrand-core-values-scaling-freedom]]> 2597 false 7 full fbx/efce709c-5ce5-11f0-ae98-ba5fa9561315 Fri, 19 Sep 2025 14:34:25 -0700 Ever wonder why some brand stories hit you in the feels—and others fall flat? Cole Heilborn has spent a decade creating content for outdoor brands and another 200+ hours interviewing the smartest people in the space. He’s got thoughts. In this episode, Cole unpacks why your audience doesn’t care (yet), how to actually build brand love, and why creativity—not budget—is your real bottleneck. Tune in if you make things for people and want those people to care. Show notes and more at hellovulgar.com/outdoor-brand-storytelling-cole-heilborn Ever wonder why some brand stories hit you in the feels—and others fall flat? Cole Heilborn has spent a decade creating content for outdoor brands and another 200+ hours interviewing the smartest people in the space. He’s got thoughts. In this episode, Cole unpacks why your audience doesn’t care (yet), how to actually build brand love, and why creativity—not budget—is your real bottleneck. Tune in if you make things for people and want those people to care. Show notes and more at hellovulgar.com/outdoor-brand-storytelling-cole-heilborn]]> 3141 false 8 full fbx/b9038c2a-9a64-11f0-8839-ba5fa9561315 Mon, 29 Sep 2025 13:17:04 -0700 Think you’re ready for a content shoot? Think again. Danny Owens, co-founder of Toil Studio and seasoned producer for brands like Lululemon and Topo Chico, joins us to share what’s actually required to run a high-quality production. From building a realistic budget to avoiding the bid-and-pray approach, Danny unpacks how successful brands treat their production partners—and why vibes on set matter more than you think. This one's a behind-the-scenes lesson for brands ready to level up. Show notes and more at hellovulgar.com/dtc-content-shoots-mistakes Think you’re ready for a content shoot? Think again. Danny Owens, co-founder of Toil Studio and seasoned producer for brands like Lululemon and Topo Chico, joins us to share what’s actually required to run a high-quality production. From building a realistic budget to avoiding the bid-and-pray approach, Danny unpacks how successful brands treat their production partners—and why vibes on set matter more than you think. This one's a behind-the-scenes lesson for brands ready to level up. Show notes and more at hellovulgar.com/dtc-content-shoots-mistakes]]> 3446 false 9 full