This episode is brought to you by Yotpo.   Clay Alexander says, “I feel like all majorly successful entrepreneurs would not be where they are without help along the way. It's just not possible. You need advice and guidance. When I was building Ember, and Ember is now one of the fastest growing companies in the world, it was just an idea in my head. I was running up against brick wall after brick wall of like, wait a minute, how do I get past this hurdle?”   Today’s episode is a roller coaster ride-like discussion of how Clay Alexander, Founder & CEO of Ember Technologies, grew Ember from zero to over $100 million in revenues in less than five years. The interview encompasses hard-won entrepreneurial lessons and a guided tour of why the Ember products are so beloved.   19:08 - Clay’s gratefulness for his mentor, Norman Kahn 23:22 - Successful entrepreneurs' network to find the help they need 26:26 - Founders must realize their strengths and weaknesses 27:57 - How to use networking to attract influencers and celebrities to your mission 32:14 - Clay’s trade secret: always involve family 34:21 - The amazing results of direct mail 36:08 - Inspired by Beats by Dre 38:42 - Getting the designer of Beats by Dre to work with Ember 40:45 - Product invention - It all started with scrambled eggs 45:03 - Bootstrapping a software & hardware product takes millions 46:05 - How he raised Ember’s first Series A funds 47:26 - Formula for making a new product cool 49:52 - How to identify a market and product opportunity 53:26 - How Clay and team got into Starbucks 58:43 - The single biggest needle mover for Ember and any brand 1:01:12 - How to hire and interview at a fast-growing consumer brand 1:03:05 - Your job as a founder during the hiring process 1:06:09 - Learn to pull back as a founder and trust the people you hire 1:08:34 - Using the Ember Temperature Control technology in healthcare to save lives 1:14:49 - The words first warming baby bottle 1:20:02 - The big Ember value proposition 1:21:47 - Ember: So simple your grandmother could work it   Join Ramon Vela and Clay Alexander as they break down the inside story on The Story of a Brand.   For more on Ember Technologies, visit: https://ember.com/    Subscribe and listen to the podcast on all major apps. Simply search for “The Story of a Brand,” or click here to listen on your favorite podcast player: Listen now.   *   This episode is brought to you by Yotpo.   Rising acquisition costs and the return to in-store shopping have eCommerce marketers double-clicking on their retention strategy.   Now more than ever, brands need to focus on lifetime value. Yotpo is proud to announce Yotpo Subscriptions on Shopify, making retention easy and affordable for growing brands.   Take 8 minutes or less to add a recurring revenue channel to your business.   Download Yotpo Subscriptions from the Shopify App Store today https://apps.shopify.com/yotpo-subscription