Podcast
Unit Economics
Hosted by The Unit Economics Podcast · EN
How businesses actually work. Conversations with founders, operators, and investors about the decisions, economics, constraints, and tradeoffs behind the scenes. Hosted by Josh Stabinsky.
🎧 New episodes every week.
🌐 More at uepod.com
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52episodes
Episodes
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[Erstwhile] Jared Klusner
Feb 500:37:49Tap to summarizeIn today's episode, I sit down with Jared Klusner, founder of Erstwhile, a jewelry business built around highly curated vintage and vintage-inspired pieces.We talk about Jared’s path into the jewelry world, how sourcing actually works in a niche, relationship-driven market, and why trust and expertise matter so much when you’re dealing in rare, one-of-a-kind goods.We also get into the mechanics of building a business around non-fungible inventory — from pricing and negotiation to replacement risk, inventory management, and the realities of scaling a high-touch operation without losing credibility.This was a fascinating look at what it really takes to build a relationship-driven business in high-end vintage goods. I learned so much from the conversation, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
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[One Trick Pony] Lucy Dana
Feb 300:39:49Tap to summarizeOn today's episode, I sit down with Lucy Dana, co-founder and CEO of One Trick Pony, a peanut butter brand built around Argentinian peanuts and a novel approach to jar design.Lucy walks through the tradeoffs involved in supplier selection, inventory risk, and manufacturing control, including the very real consequences of getting early production decisions wrong.We get into how One Trick Pony thinks about differentiation in a crowded, commoditized category, why jar design — not ingredients alone — became the company’s primary growth lever, and the operational and margin implications of introducing custom packaging.Lucy also shares how pricing decisions have evolved alongside rising input costs and tariffs, why DTC played a critical role early on, and how the business is balancing e-commerce with retail as it scales.This was a thoughtful, transparent conversation about building a modern food brand from scratch and I learned so much during my conversation with Lucy. As always, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
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[GOB] Lauryn Menard
Jan 2700:44:21Tap to summarizeIn this episode, I sit down with Lauryn Menard, founder of GOB, a company rethinking single-use personal care products starting with earplugs made from mycelium.We talk about how GOB came to focus on a category most people overlook, and what it actually takes to commercialize a new biomaterial in a space dominated by low-cost, petroleum-based incumbents. Lauryn walks through the early research process, the tradeoffs involved in material selection, and the realities of working with suppliers and manufacturing partners when you’re building on top of emerging technologies rather than established supply chains.We also get into pricing and positioning in a highly price-sensitive category, how GOB thinks about margins and cost reduction over time, and why subscription has become the core business model as the company shifts toward daily-use, health-driven customers. Lauryn shares how GOB is approaching distribution across DTC, music venues, and retail, and how those channels serve different roles at different stages.This was a thoughtful, grounded conversation about building a premium physical product in a commoditized category, the real constraints of scaling physical products that don’t rely on petrochemicals, and what it actually means to design products with end-of-life in mind. I learned so much during our conversation and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
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[Jones] Hilary Dubin & Caroline Huber
Jan 2100:43:01Tap to summarizeIn this episode, I sit down with Hilary Dubin and Caroline Huber, co-founders of Jones — a modern nicotine-cessation company built for people trying to quit vaping.Jones combines FDA-approved nicotine mints, a form of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), with an app that provides behavioral support and community. Hilary and Caroline started the company after struggling to quit nicotine themselves and realizing how outdated, stigmatized, and incomplete the existing NRT category felt — especially for younger users.We talk about how their personal experiences shaped the product, what it takes to build a regulated physical product alongside software, and why behavioral support is just as important as the nicotine replacement itself. We also get into manufacturing constraints, FDA economics, fundraising stress, and the realities of building a business in a tightly regulated space.This was an extremely transparent conversation about building a real company in what I consider to be a critically important category. I learned a lot from this one, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
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[Weast Coast Games] Dan Cassaro, Dan Christofferson, & Meg Yahashi
Jan 1500:37:55Tap to summarizeOn today’s episode, I sit down with Dan Cassaro, Dan Christofferson, and Meg Yahashi — the team behind Weast Coast Games, a modern board game company designing beautifully crafted tabletop games.Weast Coast grew out of Young Jerks (the branding and packaging studio they’ve been building for over a decade) and this conversation provides a look at what happens when a design firm decides to make its own physical products.We talk about how a lunchtime prototype turned into a real board game business, how they think about gameplay and play-testing, and why they chose to lead with a high-cost, component-heavy game instead of playing it safe.We also get into manufacturing realities, pricing and margin decisions, using Kickstarter as a validation tool, and the ways in which game design has changed the way they think about client work.This was a fascinating look into balancing craft and creative ambition with the realities of producing and selling physical products — and I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did.(Also a shoutout to the team for designing this episode's cover art!)
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[Nymzo] Elliott Walker & Tim Hucklesby
Jan 1400:47:55Tap to summarizeIn this episode, I sit down with Elliott Walker and Tim Hucklesby, co-founders of Nymzo — a modern chess brand rethinking one of the world’s most traditional games. Elliott and Tim are longtime brand designers, and their perspective on product, positioning, and credibility shows up in every part of Nymzo’s story.We talk through how they identified a real gap in the chess market based on what they were seeing culturally and commercially, and how that conviction translated into a premium, performance-driven physical product. Elliott and Tim break down what it actually took to manufacture a chess set from scratch — from tooling decisions and material choices to the realities of minimum order quantities and early production constraints.We also dig into bootstrapping, demand and distribution strategy, how they approached launching DTC, what they’ve learned from working with chess clubs as a discovery channel, and what it means to build trust and legitimacy in a legacy category that’s deeply rooted in tradition.Tim and Elliott are exceptional brand builders, and I think it really shows. I learned so much during our conversation, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
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[Stonemaier Games] Jamey Stegmaier
Jan 1300:29:22Summary readyOn today's episode, I sit down with Jamey Stegmaier, Co-Founder & CEO of Stonemaier Games — the studio behind modern board game staples like Wingspan, Scythe, and Viticulture. We dig into what it actually takes to run a board game company at scale: the economics of manufacturing in China, navigating tariffs and freight costs, the true timeline of bringing a game from idea to shelf, and how Stonemaier thinks about margins, value, and customer trust.Jamey also opens up about the early Kickstarter era, budgeting mistakes that almost sunk the company, why they eventually walked away from crowdfunding altogether, and how that decision changed their business overnight. We talk art investment, digital vs. physical revenue, distribution strategy, working with retailers, hiring slowly, and why he’s far more interested in serving existing fans than chasing “growth for growth’s sake.”It’s a transparent, thoughtful look at an industry that rarely gets discussed through an operational lens — and one of the most insightful conversations I’ve had about building a product-driven company. I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did.
Summary
[Almond Surfboards] Dave Allee
Jan 700:46:19Tap to summarizeIn this week’s episode I sit down with Dave Allee, Founder of Almond Surfboards — one of the most respected surf brands in the market. Dave started Almond back in 2009 with a deep appreciation for craftsmanship, heritage, and timeless design, and over the past 15+ years he’s grown it into a brand that customers genuinely trust.We talk through what it actually takes to build durable, meaningful products in a category that isn’t always forgiving, how Almond has cultivated such a loyal community, and why discipline and restraint have been central to the company’s longevity. We also dig into the story behind the R Series, the recyclable, mold-injected surfboard line that became a major turning point for the business.Dave is one of the most thoughtful, disciplined founders I’ve come across and I learned so much during our conversation. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
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[Bezi] Ilay Karateke
Dec 2900:53:21Tap to summarizeIn this week’s episode, I sat down with Ilay Karateke, Co-founder & CEO of Bezi, the Labneh brand working to introduce an entirely new category to U.S. grocery shelves. We dig into what Labneh actually is, why it hasn’t historically broken through in mainstream retail, and what it takes to introduce a new category rather than compete in an already understood space.We talk through the realities of building a refrigerated CPG brand without DTC, why Bezi made a retail-first, New York-first bet, and how relentless in-store demos and community events became the backbone of customer acquisition. İlay also shares what it means to be bootstrapped while competing next to massive, well-funded category players, how her co-founder’s family dairy business shapes Bezi’s manufacturing and shelf-life advantages, and what scaling inside Whole Foods actually looks like when the roadmap isn’t obvious.We also get into tariffs, distribution tradeoffs, the decision to avoid big national brokers (for now), and how she thinks about timing fundraising vs. staying disciplined on cash flow. It’s an honest look at what it takes to build a food brand when demand doesn’t already exist — and what it looks like to try to bring an entirely new grocery category to life.
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[Currently Running] Nash Howe
Dec 2200:39:42Tap to summarizeIn this episode, I sit down with Nash Howe, founder of Currently Running — a new running apparel brand built at the intersection of product, art, and storytelling.Nash is like no one I've ever met. His passion for running, art, and brand building is infectious and it made for an incredibly compelling conversation.Nash walks through his path from creative work in film, photography, and music to building a physical product from scratch. We talk about developing Currently over several years before launch, how he approached fabric sourcing and manufacturing without a traditional apparel background, and what it looks like to bootstrap a brand through prototyping, tariffs, and early cash-flow constraints.We also get into pricing and margin decisions, staying DTC in the early days, learning when to ask for help, and how creative direction shapes everything from product to community.I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did.
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