How I'm Building a 100m Beverage Brand! | Hyro | Ft Steve Chapman | The How Story with Tate Zanner

From FacePunch to Drink Hyro: How Steve Chapman Built Two of Australia’s Most Disruptive Beverage BrandsIn this raw and inspiring episode of House Story, we sit down with Steve Chapman — the entrepreneurial force behind Shine+ (Australia’s first nootropic drink) and Drink Hyro, the DTC hydration brand taking over run clubs, gyms, and TikTok feeds nationwide.From being the youngest hire at PwC to building an app that got shut down by Facebook, Steve shares his rollercoaster journey — packed with bold moves, brutal lessons, and billion-dollar ambition. He opens up about his early ego crashes, why mentorship changed everything, and how losing it all at 20 shaped his future.💧 Inside Drink HyroWe dive deep into how Drink Hyro is disrupting the hydration market with clean electrolytes, smart branding, and a cult-like community. Steve unpacks the formula behind the product (zero sugar, double the electrolytes of Hydrolyte, plus magnesium for recovery) and how Hyro is playing at the intersection of wellness, performance, and modern culture.🧠 From Nootropics to Next-Gen HydrationBefore Hyro, there was Shine — the brain-boosting energy drink that went from startup to 7,000 stockists. Steve shares how Shine pioneered the “smart drink” category in Australia and the lessons he carried into building Hiro, a brand that lives and breathes DTC excellence, high-growth content, and conversion-first thinking.🔥 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:Why Steve took a personal assistant job (after winning entrepreneurship awards) to learn business from the insideHow his first app “FaceBuy” went viral — and then got crushed by FacebookWhat most DTC brands get wrong about branding and tone of voiceThe difference between building retail-first vs. DTC-first brandsWhy hydration is a red-hot category — and how Hyro is winning itThe overlooked opportunity in building for “basic needs” — like sleep, protein, hydrationHow Steve scaled Hyro to millions in sales in year one — and what’s nextHis daily rituals (4:24 a.m. wake-ups), team culture (gratitude check-ins), and book recommendations for first-time foundersHow launching a business and becoming a dad at the same time changed his outlook💬 "If you're going to fail, fail at something you love." — Steve ChapmanWhether you're a founder, aspiring entrepreneur, DTC marketer, or just love hearing real startup stories, this episode is loaded with practical insights and inspiration. Steve doesn’t hold back, giving you the behind-the-scenes playbook on scaling a modern consumer brand in one of the most competitive spaces online.🎙️ About the Show:House Story is where Australia's most interesting founders and operators come to unpack their journey — the wins, the wobbles, and everything in between. We go deep on business models, brand strategy, mental resilience, and what it really takes to go from idea to iconic.🔎 SEO Keywords:Steve Chapman interview, Drink Hyro podcast, Shine drink founder, nootropic drinks Australia, hydration drinks Australia, best electrolyte drink 2025, Australian startup podcast, DTC brand strategy, facebuy Facebook lawsuit, Drink Hyro review, building a DTC brand, entrepreneurial failure stories, mentorship in business, startup founder story, drink startup success, Aussie hydration brands, wellness beverage trends 2025