Jenny Nguyen is the founder and owner of The Sports Bra, the world’s first sports bar that is 100% dedicated to women’s sports.

“The Bra,” which is how Jenny refers to her establishment in casual conversation, has absolutely exploded since it first opened in April of 2022 in Portland, Oregon. It is not uncommon to show up on a normal weeknight and have to wait for a seat, particularly if there is a notable game on.

After The Bra became a local sensation, the business attracted an investment from the 776 Foundation, which is run by Alexis Ohanian, the co-founder of Reddit and husband to Serena Williams. Now the Bra is in the process of expanding to other markets through franchising.

During this interview we dive into Jenny’s unique entrepreneurial journey, the founding story of The Sports Bra, Jenny’s ambitions for the future, how she runs her business, her day-to-day life, and much more.

After the interview, Keeley and I debrief.

This was a fantastic interview with a lot of great insights for entrepreneurs, leaders, and anyone who wants to challenge the status quo.

Topics Discussed:

• Intro from Peter and Keeley
• The Philosophy of The Sports Bra
• Jenny's career journey
• The Birth of the Sports Bra Concept
• From Idea to Reality
• Community Support and Kickstarter Success
• Challenges and Criticisms
• Partnership with Alexis Ohanian
• The Decision to Franchise
• Understanding Franchise Ownership
• Raising Funds for Expansion
• Selecting the Right Franchisee
• Imposter Syndrome
• The Vision for the Future
• Beyond Sports: Community Impact
• Personal Reflections and Leadership
• Rapid Fire Questions
• Debrief of Jenny's interview with Peter and Keeley

Please help this interview reach more people by rating Uncommon Business on Spotify and Apple or by sharing it with others.

We would love your feedback, comments, and questions. Please leave a comment directly on the post or email us at hello@lumogroup.co.

Thank you!

Peter & Keeley
Partners, Lumo Group

Today’s episode is a little different.

I (Peter) am actually interviewing my co-host Keeley about her previous company, Wild Friends Foods.

Prior to co-founding Lumo Group, Keeley was the co-founder and CEO of a nut and seed butter company called Wild Friends Foods. All the way back in 2011 Keeley and her roommate and best friend Erika decided to start making their own nut butter in their college apartment. One thing led to the next and soon they were selling it at a local farmers market. Then they got shelf space at a local natural foods grocery chain. Then they dropped out of college to build the company full time.

Now, 13 years later, Wild Friends is officially shutting down. It was a wild ride, full of ups and downs and successes and failures. But ultimately it was THE formative professional experience of Keeley’s life that led her to where she is today.

During this conversation, Keeley looks back and shares the unfiltered story of Wild Friends, and her key reflections and learnings from her journey over the past decade plus.

TOPICS WE DISCUSSED:

• Teaser Clip and Introduction
• Keeley discuss the history and journey of her previous company, Wild Friends Foods
• How Keeley and her co-founder Erika stumbled into entrepreneurship
• From farmers market to retail
• The early growth phase
• Exciting products or initiatives that didn’t succeed
• Best sellers and consumer psychology
• Raising investory money
• The costs and benefits of capital raising
• Hard times at Wild Friends
• Keeley's proudest moments of her journey with Wild Friends
• Deciding to sell the company
• The challenges and processes involved in selling a company
• The story of selling just before the COVID-19 lockdown.
• Why the company "failed"
• Hiring and Firing
• Leadership and management
• Advice for entrepreneurs on strategy development
• Mentors and Advisors
• Why did Keeley co-found Lumo Group?
• Rapid Fire Questions: all-time favorite Wild Friends flavor, current go to breakfast, current workout routine, favorite Olympic sport to watch, current favorite hobby outside of work, go-to podcasts, lessons learned from her kid, book recommendations: favorite business/workbook, favorite parenting book or resource, favorite young adult book, adult fiction books

Today’s interview is high energy, insightful and fun.

Wes Kao is an entrepreneur, marketer, coach, advisor, and fellow newsletter author. Wes has co-founded two companies: Maven, an edtech company that raised $25M from First Round and Andreessen Horowitz, and the altMBA, which she co-founded with bestselling author Seth Godin. Over 250,000 people follow Wes across LinkedIn, X, and Substack.

Wes is a force to be reckoned with.

Keeley and I (Peter) first met Wes back in 2016 when we both participated in one of the first cohorts of the altMBA.

For those who aren’t familiar, altMBA is essentially a month-long online leadership bootcamp. The work we did and the frameworks we learned during that month continue to influence our work - and we have Wes to thank for that.

Since our time in the altMBA, we have followed Wes’s career with interest, as she co-founded another company (Maven) and then struck out on her own to help individuals and teams level up.

Every week, Wes’s newsletter pushes us to hold ourselves and others to a higher standard. Wes is rigorous, thoughtful, and good at coining memorable frameworks (some of which we discuss today!)

This was a super fun conversation. Keeley and I enjoyed debriefing this one (which you can listen to after the interview).

Enjoy this conversation with Wes Kao.

Topics Discussed:

• [00:00] Teaser Clip and Introduction
• [03:08] Wes’s background
• [03:55] What it means to be a high performer
• [08:52] Wes’s career arc
• [14:03] Lessons that Wes learned from Seth Godin, and what they disagree about
• [21:07] “Spiky points of view”
• [28:46] The “state change method”
• [31:17] Wes’s big vision for her business
• [35:47] Coaching
• [40:37] Organizational resilience, leadership succession, and getting raises
• [48:33] Toronto
• [49:42] Newsletters
• [52:05] YouTube
• [52:46] Houseplants
• [55:04] Book recommendations
• [55:48] Post-interview debrief with Peter and Keeley

Please help this interview reach more people by rating Uncommon Business on Spotify and Apple or by sharing it with others.

We would love your feedback, comments, and questions. Please leave a comment directly on the post or email us at hello@lumogroup.co.

Thank you!

Peter & Keeley
Partners, Lumo Group