The Foundr Podcast with Nathan Chan

Episode 589: The Mad Scientist Behind One of America’s Fastest Growing Supplement Brands | Brian Littlefield (Best of Foundr)
Released: September 19, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, host Nathan Chan sits down with Brian Littlefield, co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Jocko Fuel, to unpack the explosive growth story behind one of America’s fastest-growing supplement brands. Brian digs deep into how personal adversity sparked his entrepreneurial journey, why product quality and trust underpin every Jocko Fuel decision, and how a powerful partnership with Navy SEAL legend Jocko Willink fueled both brand loyalty and authentic marketing power. The conversation brims with insights on building a world-class supplement company from scratch, the challenge of tying a business to a personal brand, the “mad scientist” mindset driving product development, and what entrepreneurs can learn from Brazilian Jiu Jitsu about grit and resilience.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Brian’s Origin Story: From Overweight Student to Supplement Entrepreneur

• Personal Transformation

  • Brian’s journey began with a wake-up call from his doctor in his early 20s: “You have, you know, borderline high blood pressure. Your blood sugar isn’t good, your lipid panel isn’t good. Like, you’re not healthy, dude. Like, you need to do something.” (04:10)
  • After adopting a healthier lifestyle and diving into fitness, jiu jitsu, and nutrition science, Brian became the go-to guy for advice in his community.

• Accidental Entry into Entrepreneurship

  • With a business degree but no plan to use it, a job offer fell through, leading Brian to open his own independent supplement store:
    “Everybody comes to me… why not turn this into a business? So I created an independent supplement store. It was successful.” (06:15)
  • The turning point came when he partnered with Pete Roberts (founder of Origin), moved back to Maine, and co-founded what would become Jocko Fuel.

2. Science as Leverage: The “Mad Scientist” Mindset

• Brian’s obsession with the science behind health and performance stems from a lifelong love of “force multipliers”—the ways technology, technique, or nutrition can exponentially improve outcomes (07:39).
• On supplement formulation:
  “I take an approach of using only ingredients that actually have clinical literature to support their use for that particular need state...” (34:58)

3. Building the Jocko Fuel Brand: Authenticity, Trust, and Mission

• Meeting Jocko Willink

  • The partnership was serendipitous—a cold outreach from Jocko’s team led to a marathon call:
    “Pete gets on this zoom call with Jocko and it’s like ends up going like four hours long ... They’re totally opposite people, but… when it hit, it hit. It just like, it hit.” (11:05)
  • Initially, Jocko was unaware there was a supplement arm—once he learned, he insisted on “people before profits” as a foundational value (13:30).

• Alignment & Culture: The “Black Belt Brotherhood”

  • Shared experience in jiu jitsu cemented a unique trust and ego-free culture:
    “He’s said it before… I only do business with black belts. There’s a reason for that. You go through the filter, we call it the filter in Jiu Jitsu, where it’s removed all ego.” (15:21)

4. The Power & Risk of a Personal Brand

• Why Jocko Fuel, Not Just Origin Labs?

  • The founders faced pushback about tying the entire brand to Jocko’s reputation:
    “All it takes is like one bad batch of product going out and basically tarnishing his name. So extra pressure right there…” (20:20)
  • Ultimately, they realized trust was the most important ingredient in a supplement brand, and Jocko brought it in spades:
    “If they already trust a person, then you’re already ahead of the game. Jocko’s entire career was built on trust.” (21:05)

• Jocko’s Unmatched Influence

  • Two vivid anecdotes highlight Jocko’s unique pull:
    • Despite being in rural Maine, a spontaneous tweet for a book signing resulted in crowds and people driving from multiple states:
      “He puts it out, and like 20 minutes later, there’s a line out the door. And I’m like, what the fuck? Where are these people coming from?” (22:37)
    • Observing Jocko interact with Fortune 500 execs, soldiers, and hundreds of schoolchildren alike, Brian realized,
      “It’s 100% authentic. He loved engaging with every single one of those kids. I was like, this doesn’t make any sense to do anything else… this is his brand.” (27:55)

5. Scaling Fast in a Competitive Industry

• From Bootstrapped to Booming

  • Launched their first Jocko-branded product (krill oil) and couldn’t keep up with demand—literally stuffing inventory between sewing machines:
    “We just had them stuffed everywhere because we didn’t have anywhere to put the product… It was pretty crazy.” (31:12)
  • Secured new facilities, built out their team “one by one,” and expanded beyond direct-to-consumer.

• Marketing & Compliance

  • Supplements are tricky to market (claims, regulations):
    “We didn’t, thankfully, make any huge mistakes … we really played it safe. Didn’t claim that this was gonna cure cancer or diabetes or anything like that.” (33:17)
  • Now every piece of packaging is vetted by top FDA legal counsel.

6. The Jiu Jitsu Mindset: Grit, Growth, and Problem-Solving

• Lessons from the Mat
  • Jiu Jitsu taught Brian discipline, emotional intelligence, and how to stay calm, assess, and respond under pressure—skills essential in business:
    “You get put in these situations… most people without that emotional callus might crumble… you don’t react, you assess the situation… respond, and it just makes things so much easier.” (41:34)
  • On challenges:
    “It’s not any worse than a 250 pound man laying on you, dripping sweat all over you and you can’t get out. It’s nothing… you don’t react, you assess, and then respond.” (42:36)
• Advice for Entrepreneurs
  • Try jiu jitsu—or simply do something hard, outside of business, to build mental resilience:
    “Just do hard things. Do things that are challenging that aren’t related to business.” (44:24)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On force multipliers:
  “You can be eating healthy… but there’s a force multiplier. And that is where I fell in love with it… nutraceuticals—ergogenic for athletic, nootropic for cognitive performance.”
  (Brian, 08:35)

• On business partnership and ego:
  “When you get through that filter… it really defines you as a person. And I think that was a major, major part of it… we were all aligned in like values, aligned in the mission, we could check our egos when needed, and that was super important.”
  (Brian, 16:35)

• On tying the brand to Jocko:
  “All it takes is like one bad batch of product going out and like basically tarnishing his name.”
  (Brian, 20:23)
  “Jocko’s entire career was built on trust… that was ultra powerful and one of the big reasons why we moved forward with that.”
  (Brian, 21:05)

• On Jocko’s audience:
  “There’s a line out the door… people from like eastern Pennsylvania, upstate New York, New Jersey… they’re on the way, driving six hours to get their book signed. I’m like, this is crazy. That’s not normal influencer.”
  (Brian, 23:39)

• On mindset from jiu jitsu:
  “You’re going to suck at when you start… as you come through it, it really defines you as a person.”
  (Brian, 16:07)
  “Just do hard things… things that are challenging, that aren’t related to business.”
  (Brian, 44:24)

Important Timestamps

• 02:08 – Brian’s path from obesity and job loss to founding a supplement store
• 07:39 – Love of science and “force multipliers”
• 09:13 – Meeting Pete Roberts and discovering Origin
• 10:58 – How the Jocko collaboration began
• 14:52 – The “black belt” brotherhood & business alignment
• 19:11 – Why they embraced Jocko’s personal brand
• 22:14 – Jocko’s real-world influence (book signing story)
• 26:33 – Watching Jocko captivate audiences of all ages
• 30:12 – Rapid growth: from packing boxes to large-scale operation
• 33:17 – Navigating supplement marketing and legal compliance
• 34:58 – The birth of “mad scientist” product development
• 36:44 – Transferrable lessons from Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
• 41:34 – Handling adversity with composure
• 43:21 – Advice for business owners: do hard things outside of business

Summary & Takeaways for Entrepreneurs

Brian Littlefield’s story demonstrates how personal adversity and genuine obsession with the science of performance fueled the creation of a trusted, high-growth brand. The Jocko Fuel playbook points to the power of authentic partnerships rooted in mission and character, not ego or short-term gain. Tying a supplement brand to Jocko Willink’s personal reputation was a risky, high-pressure move—but it paid off in trust, loyalty, and an audience far deeper than raw social metrics. The lessons of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu—discipline, emotional control, resilience—run through the culture and strategy of the company, offering a direct blueprint for any entrepreneur seeking to build uncompromising products and a lasting business.