A Day In The Sun, successor to Earle & Company, Inc., believes that through innovation and entrepreneurship, all skies are blue. We exist to inspire better future states for people, products, and ideas. Sometimes, we advise clients. Other times, we create for ourselves. New ventures we helped create, and to which we continue to be significant contributors, include GOODLES mac and cheese (www.GOODLES.com), Big Nose Kate western whiskey (www.BigNoseKateWhiskey.com), and coming soon, Small… Show more A Day In The Sun, successor to Earle & Company, Inc., believes that through innovation and entrepreneurship, all skies are blue. We exist to inspire better future states for people, products, and ideas. Sometimes, we advise clients. Other times, we create for ourselves. New ventures we helped create, and to which we continue to be significant contributors, include GOODLES mac and cheese (www.GOODLES.com), Big Nose Kate western whiskey (www.BigNoseKateWhiskey.com), and coming soon, Small Wonder personal care (www.smallwonder.world).These playbooks-- and the close study of others-- make us better partners to others who are striving for their days in the sun.www.ADayInTheSun.com Show less

A magical mystery tour at the intersection of brand innovation, culinary innovation, retail innovation, custom disco roller skates, and a vintage 1968 dune buggy. The incredible team in Santa Cruz keeps a swear jar in the office because we so frequently receive fan mail using expletives to express the level of love for what we are doing. This venture has been one of the most exciting things of which I have ever been part, and am grateful for my partners and our early wins on the… Show more A magical mystery tour at the intersection of brand innovation, culinary innovation, retail innovation, custom disco roller skates, and a vintage 1968 dune buggy. The incredible team in Santa Cruz keeps a swear jar in the office because we so frequently receive fan mail using expletives to express the level of love for what we are doing. This venture has been one of the most exciting things of which I have ever been part, and am grateful for my partners and our early wins on the daily.Check us out at www.GOODLES.com and in every store nationally at retailers such Target and Whole Foods. Cheers! Show less

Big Nose Kate western whiskey is a brave and adventurous blend of American Single malt and rye, named in honor of Maria Magdolna Horony, aka Kate Elder, the old west's Baddest Bird. Kate was a feared and revered frontier outlaw back in the day. Today, we can think of no better, more authentic hero to finally introduce a strong independent female voice to the back bar dominated by Jack, Johnnie, Jim, George, Evan, Thomas, and all the brothers, uncles, and granddads. Kate is a whiskey for… Show more Big Nose Kate western whiskey is a brave and adventurous blend of American Single malt and rye, named in honor of Maria Magdolna Horony, aka Kate Elder, the old west's Baddest Bird. Kate was a feared and revered frontier outlaw back in the day. Today, we can think of no better, more authentic hero to finally introduce a strong independent female voice to the back bar dominated by Jack, Johnnie, Jim, George, Evan, Thomas, and all the brothers, uncles, and granddads. Kate is a whiskey for all. Everyone has a seat at the table here. Pull up a chair of your own and check us out at www.BigNoseKateWhiskey.com. The story is super interesting, and the whiskey is just as delicious.I am grateful to my cofounding partners Kevin Burke and Melissa Heim, as well as our Chief Whiskey Drinkers Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone, the rest of our awesome team and investors, and so many others making this go.Postscript: Kate was not called "Big Nose" because of a physical feature. She was an enterpriser who had an incredible "nose" for opportunity. Same as our team today, and it has been very fun watching this brand gain traction. Cheers! Show less

Small Wonder is truly a wonder: a salon-grade powder concentrate shampoo that works incredibly well and is extremely fun to use. Aside from its efficacy, another benefit is you can bid adieu to the crazy wasteful practice of filling single use plastic bottles with heavy watery goop. And, did I say it really works? This is a major R&D breakthrough.This enterprise has been years in the works and has been way way way more difficult than any of us first thought. But anything worth doing is… Show more Small Wonder is truly a wonder: a salon-grade powder concentrate shampoo that works incredibly well and is extremely fun to use. Aside from its efficacy, another benefit is you can bid adieu to the crazy wasteful practice of filling single use plastic bottles with heavy watery goop. And, did I say it really works? This is a major R&D breakthrough.This enterprise has been years in the works and has been way way way more difficult than any of us first thought. But anything worth doing is going to be difficult!Keep an eye on us over at www.SmallWonder.world. Big news coming in 2024 and in fact big news already: a potent, efficacious, entirely lovely shampoo powder concentrate is out there.I am grateful for my cofounding partners Stephanie Farsht (also our dauntless CEO!) and Katja Lerner, with more great talent en route. Join the haircare revolution.Tiny. Mighty. Beautiful. Show less

I co-teach "Corporate Innovation & New Ventures" at Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management, my alma mater. The class is an intensive lab immersion that pairs student teams with top corporate partners, researching and designing solutions to real innovation challenges in real time. Partners to date have included McDonald’s, Visa, Target, Procter & Gamble, Whirlpool, United Airlines, Hyatt, the Chicago Cubs, and many other top companies and brands.

I am proud and grateful to have had a central role in helping the global creative agency Leo Burnett create Farmhouse, its innovation and new venture center. Farmhouse's mission: conceive and design new products, services, and experiences that move people and markets. In short, create the stuff that's worth advertising. Farmhouse worked with many prestigious brand companies and other top partners in pioneering a number of new practices for Leo Burnett and the industry at large. Our method of… Show more I am proud and grateful to have had a central role in helping the global creative agency Leo Burnett create Farmhouse, its innovation and new venture center. Farmhouse's mission: conceive and design new products, services, and experiences that move people and markets. In short, create the stuff that's worth advertising. Farmhouse worked with many prestigious brand companies and other top partners in pioneering a number of new practices for Leo Burnett and the industry at large. Our method of infusing the power of story directly into the front end of the new product concept development process, for example, was and remains a novel and provocative way to help create what's next. We did some cool work and it was an honor to have collaborated with so many incredibly talented creative people. Show less

After River West, I took some time off to smell the roses (literally; we had a little deck on the roof of our condo and grew roses in containers up there). During this period I explored a number of different paths, depending on which way the wind blew. I'm particularly proud of being part of the team that helped create the Angel's Envy brown spirits brand, and ultimately the company that launched it. I also advised a prominent family office on the acquisition and subsequent relaunch of a famous… Show more After River West, I took some time off to smell the roses (literally; we had a little deck on the roof of our condo and grew roses in containers up there). During this period I explored a number of different paths, depending on which way the wind blew. I'm particularly proud of being part of the team that helped create the Angel's Envy brown spirits brand, and ultimately the company that launched it. I also advised a prominent family office on the acquisition and subsequent relaunch of a famous old consumer product brand. A significant portion of this work was done at home, in my pajamas. Then one day my wife told me it would be good if I got out of the house more. I said, "okay, fine"... and went on down the road to Leo Burnett. But it was fun. Show less

River West Brands was the first company ever to systematically acquire and monetize dormant brands ("dormant" defined as zero sales; in other words, just intellectual property). This company started as a dream many years earlier and ultimately led to the acquisition of great icons like SALON SELECTIVES hair care, EAGLE snacks, COLECO toys and games, BRIM coffee and many others. These efforts ultimately led to the sale of a significant portion of the company to Omnicom Group (NYSE: OMC). (And… Show more River West Brands was the first company ever to systematically acquire and monetize dormant brands ("dormant" defined as zero sales; in other words, just intellectual property). This company started as a dream many years earlier and ultimately led to the acquisition of great icons like SALON SELECTIVES hair care, EAGLE snacks, COLECO toys and games, BRIM coffee and many others. These efforts ultimately led to the sale of a significant portion of the company to Omnicom Group (NYSE: OMC). (And ssshhh... don't tell anybody but I still look at dormant brand opportunities from time to time... can't help myself). Show less

I worked in brand management, as both an MBA intern and then as a full-time Assistant Brand Manager, at what was then known simply as Kraft Foods Inc. My focus included Kraft Macaroni & Cheese-- one of the company's flagships-- Velveeta Shells & Cheese, Kraft Deluxe, and a number of new product initiatives, including Easy Mac (look, Easy Mac evokes a response of "well, duh" now, and that's a compliment. At the time it was really tough to pull off and was a major and risky undertaking... trust… Show more I worked in brand management, as both an MBA intern and then as a full-time Assistant Brand Manager, at what was then known simply as Kraft Foods Inc. My focus included Kraft Macaroni & Cheese-- one of the company's flagships-- Velveeta Shells & Cheese, Kraft Deluxe, and a number of new product initiatives, including Easy Mac (look, Easy Mac evokes a response of "well, duh" now, and that's a compliment. At the time it was really tough to pull off and was a major and risky undertaking... trust me on this, people!). I wasn't at Kraft for very long, as I had the startup bug in a big way and knew I would soon be departing to give it a shot, but it was a great experience and am proud to be a Kraft alum. The learning I gained and the people I met have been helpful to me throughout my career since, and I remain a big fan of the company. Show less

Variety of account management/strategy positions, as well as business development roles; client focus included General Mills, Johnson & Johnson, and British Airways