About TJ Bongiorno

TJ Bongiorno is the founder of The Outgoing Co, a fast-growing supplement and nootropic brand focused on alcohol alternatives, functional beverages, and modern wellness products. Before going full-time as an entrepreneur, he worked in mortgages, learned to code through a bootcamp, and built a career in tech as a sales engineer. By building in public and testing demand early, TJ built a multi-seven-figure brand without employees.

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TJ Bongiorno

Episode Highlights

In this episode of Business Unchained, Bobby Mascia sits down with TJ Bongiorno to break down how he built The Outgoing Co. into a multi-seven-figure e-commerce brand without employees. TJ shares his path from mortgages to tech sales to launching a supplement company on the side while still working full-time. He explains why testing demand before scaling was one of the smartest moves he made, including using a pre-sale to validate the idea before fully investing. The conversation also highlights how building in public helped him grow an audience and create momentum around the brand.

Bobby and TJ also get into the messier side of entrepreneurship, including product missteps, formula changes, supply chain issues, and trademark headaches. TJ opens up about what it took to stay lean, use AI and outside support, and keep moving even when things got complicated. They talk through raising capital, evolving the brand vision, and why modern founders need to think bigger than just getting a product to market. The episode also explores TJ’s mission to create a real, socially acceptable alternative to alcohol through functional wellness products like Audi and Yapper.

“I went from like, hopefully I can make a million dollars to, I wanna sell this for 200 million.” - TJ [34:00]

In This Episode

[00:00] Introduction
[04:16] Starting the business on the side while working full-time as a sales engineer
[05:29] Building in public on X and the mindset of “figure it the fuck out ability”
[07:55] The article that demystified how to start a supplement company
[12:21] The first year of growth and using influencer marketing to reach $100,000 in sales
[18:45] The core idea behind creating a real alternative to alcohol
[24:56] Tariffs, customs delays, and the supply chain nightmare that nearly broke fulfillment
[29:12] Launching Yapper and why beverages can create massive exit potential
[32:51] Why founders need entrepreneurial peers and real operator networks
[34:00] How TJ’s vision grew from making money to building toward a massive exit
[37:24] Leaving a high-paying job, building a financial safety net, and taking the leap
[40:40] Finding the right investor and avoiding the wrong money
[46:35] Why IP and trademarks matter if you want a clean exit
[51:25] Running a multi-seven-figure business with no employees
[59:21] TJ’s best advice for founders: marketing, consistency, X, and content
[01:02:00] Who buys The Outgoing Co. and where customers find the brand