Dubious claims and subterfuge have been used to hawk products since antiquity.  But it also remains a real risk today: particularly when consumers become complacent or rely on consumer protections to ...

This week we move back into our house in Pacific Palisades, after a full eighteen months of post-fire remediation.  We are hugely grateful that our house did not burn, well aware that it was spared be...

Alone in the dim Basilica of Santa Croce that morning in Florence, I was overwhelmed by its historical significance as the heart of the Renaissance.  Standing in silence for what felt like an hour, I ...

Karl Bracken of Ocampo Capital recently sat down with Jared and Breanna Golestani, co-founders of Kokada.  Kokada is a better-for-you, indulgent snack and spread company located in North Carolina.

KB...

Famed author Nassim Nicholas Taleb once wrote, “in a complex world, intelligence consists in ignoring things that are irrelevant.”  In recent months, I have been reminded of this quote several times w...

*Note: This newsletter has been in development for several months.  While we normally only publish our newsletter monthly, recent events in Minnesota compelled us to publish February’s newsletter earl...

“If you take risks and face your fate with dignity, there is nothing you can do that makes you small; if you don’t take risks, there is nothing you can do that makes you grand, nothing.”
― Nassim Nich...

Happy Holidays!

2025 was a tumultuous year, and yet we have so much to be thankful for.

We know now that the Palisades Fire was initially set by an arsonist literally as the clock struck midnight on...

Young CPG companies regularly ask me: “If my business is growing fast online, why should I sell into brick & mortar retail?”  The short answer is “if done correctly, each channel provides you with dif...

Recently, I celebrated a big birthday, which compelled me to reflect on my life over the past half century.  Coincidentally, over the past month I was also able to meet with several of my wonderful lo...

This week marks the tenth anniversary of the beginning of the Target “Stores as Hubs” initiative, or as it was originally titled, the Supply Chain Transformation.  The purpose of this body of work, wh...

https://youtu.be/dXvHEuX4hjM

"The Brutal Truth About Raising Your First Investment Fund" 

Recorded August 2025