Growth & Leadership Lessons from Leading $1B Athletic Greens and $5B Focus Brands with Kat Cole

Today on the show we get together with Kat Cole, President, COO, & Board of Directors at Athletic Greens, to talk about her career, including why she chose to become a key player in the company, and her ten years at Focus Brands. In our conversation, we discuss the mission and values that define Athletic Greens, why their rapid growth rate can be attributed to the merits and quality of their flagship product AG1, and how being bootstrapped has influenced their marketing strategy. Kat unpacks the marketing success they’ve achieved through their long-term partnerships with top thought leaders and creators and explains why their performance marketing strategy has been more conservative than some might think. She also shares her advice for anyone who wants to pursue a similar career in business and champions the values of being a curious, hard-working student who is willing to go out there and gain experience. Kat has had an incredible career and it was wonderful having her on the show. Tune in to learn more about Athletic Greens, how to customize your marketing, and much more! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:00] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [01:24] Why Kat chose Athletic Greens for her next chapter. [02:42] An overview of Athletic Greens and their incredible growth.  [06:17] The high quality of Athletic Greens’ comprehensive flagship product AG1. [06:49] Why AG1 is more than just a green drink and the marketing challenge this poses. [07:47] How Chris, the founder of Athletic Greens, helped establish foundational nutrition as a category. [09:59] Learn what AG1 tastes like and different ways to drink it.  [12:36] A breakdown of Athletic Greens’ marketing strategy. [13:16] The success they’ve found partnering with creators and influencers. [14:06] How being largely referral-based made the iOS 14 update less difficult for them. [14:28] How being a bootstrapped company has affected their marketing strategy. [15:24] The rapid rate of growth based on the merits of the product. [18:00] Insights into how marketing is changing. [19:13] Kat’s advice to anyone who wants to pursue a similar career path. [24:24] Kat’s monthly process for checking in with her loved ones. [27:06] How Kat does a similar check-in with her work relationships. [28:48] Learn where you can find Kat online.   Resources From The Interview:   Athletic Greens Athletic Greens Special Offer Kat Cole on LinkedIn Kat Cole on Instagram Checking In With Kat Cole   Leave Some Feedback:     What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed     Connect with Eric Siu:      Growth Everywhere Single Grain Leveling Up Eric Siu on Twitter   Eric Siu on Instagram