Keep your eye out for problems. That’s the story of this week’s Wild Business Growth podcast guest, Dane Barnes. Dane is the Co-Founder of Shibumi. Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and your other favorite podcast platforms.
Episode 310: Dane Barnes – Beach Shade Brothers, Shibumi Co-Founder
Dane Barnes, the Co-Founder of Shibumi, joins the show to share his journey from learning from Adam Grant at UNC to creating The Original Wind Powered Beach Shade. Hear how to start a business with your sibling and/or best friend, how to prototype your product, the NASCAR Wind Tunnel that helped make Shibumi a success, how to keep your eye out for problems & solutions, and Dane’s favorite beaches in North Carolina. This episode covers everything from the beach to brothers. Here’s a small sample of what you will hear in this episode:
- What did Dane learn from starting Optimize Hire
- How many prototypes of the Shibumi Shade were there
- What were some of the early insights about Shibumi
- How did Dane learn to sew
- Why did he create new colors for the Shibumi Shade
- Sh-Boom
- MTV Cribs
- Prehistoric Art
Connect with Dane at ShibumiShade.com and on LinkedIn.
Enjoy the shoooooow! Check out the show notes below for much more detail. You can also find the full transcript here.
Show Notes
- Intro & UNC
- [0:29] Email me at to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool
- [0:37] Connect with Dane at ShibumiShade.com and on LinkedIn
- [2:04] The Wild Business Growth podcast is on YouTube! Subscribe @MaxBranstetter to watch full video interviews with Wild entrepreneurs like Dane
- [2:22] Shoutout, Dane B!
- [2:42] Can you go to UNC-Chapel Hill after growing up in Winston-Salem
- [3:05] How did Dane make his college decision
- [3:42] The Ohio State University (OSU)
- [4:05] What was Dane’s favorite part of going to UNC-Chapel Hill
- [4:49] What did he learn from starting Optimize Hire
- [5:02] Adam Grant, The Wharton School
- [6:50] Wow I butchered that
- The Shibumi Story
- [7:30] Where did the idea for Shibumi come from
- [7:56] Emerald Isle, NC
- [8:19] How many prototypes of the Shibumi Shade were there
- [9:25] IU (Indiana University), Kirkwood Avenue
- [9:52] How do you learn from prototyping
- [10:28] What were some of the early insights about Shibumi
- [10:35] PVC Conduit Pipe
- [11:02] How did Dane learn to sew
- [11:25] How to Sew
- [11:58] Marketing & Entrepreneurship, Home Economics (Home Ec)
- [12:08] Kevin Lane – Wild Business Growth podcast #45: Inventor of Create A Castle, Sandcastle Genius
- [12:28] What were some of the early challenges with the Shibumi Shade
- [13:39] What was the “aha” moment for Shibumi & wind
- [14:25] How did Dane decide on the colors for Shibumi
- [14:30] Omnipresent vs. Everpresent
- [15:30] Why did Dane create new colors for the Shibumi Shade
- [16:20] How did he address the noise concerns with the original Shibumi
- [17:32] How did he create a wind tunnel for Shibumi
- [17:40] NASCAR Wind Tunnel (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing)
- [19:38] Where did the name Shibumi come from
- [21:33] How has Dane grown Shibumi
- [23:14] Scarcity Principle
- [23:22] When did Dane & his co-founders stop being able to call & text every customer
- [24:43] What’s the biggest thing that’s changed with Dane’s management style
- [25:32] The Wild Business Growth podcast is on YouTube! Subscribe @MaxBranstetter to watch full video interviews with Wild entrepreneurs like Dane
- [25:33] Sign up for the Podcasting to the Max newsletter at MaxPodcasting.com/Newsletter and receive How to Edit Your Podcast in Audacity. It’s where podcasting meets entrepreneurship – and terrible puns
- [26:18] Such an honor speaking at Podcast Movement ’23 in Denver! Sign up to grab the slides from my session at MaxPodcasting.com/PM23
- Inspiration & Creativity: Working with a Sibling & Best Friend
- [26:48] “Sh-Boom” (“Life Could Be a Dream”) by The Chords
- [27:02] How do you work with your sibling (like Dane does with his brother Scott Barnes)
- [28:30] Awry
- [28:54] Is there a difference working with Dane’s best friend Alex Slater
- [29:28] Do the 3 of them ever fight at work
- [30:04] Do the 3 of them still hang out after work
- The Unusual: Pet Peeves, Quirks, and Weird Talents
- [30:28] What’s Dane’s biggest pet peeve (WE GOT THERE)
- [31:30] Entrepreneur
- [31:52] How does Dane keep track of problems & solutions
- [32:34] Notes app
- [33:02] What’s a quirk Dane has
- [33:45] Progressive Insurance “Elevator” commercial
- [34:04] Shoutout, Dad & Grandpa Fred!
- [34:40] What’s a Weird Talent Dane has
- [35:18] Eric Koston on MTV Cribs
- Rapid-Fire Q&A
- [35:59] What’s the best lesson Dane learned from Adam Grant
- [36:05] Give and Take by Adam Grant
- [36:36] “Shipoopi” from Family Guy
- [37:38] Contemporary Art vs. Modern Art
- [38:22] Prehistoric Art
- [39:01] Bald Head, NC
- [39:40] Connect with Dane at ShibumiShade.com and on LinkedIn
- [40:07] What are Dane’s Final Thoughts
- [40:54] Follow the Wild Business Growth podcast and tell a friend about the podcast. And show love (or roast me) by leaving 5 stars on Apple Podcasts and/or Spotify
- [41:04] The Wild Business Growth podcast is on YouTube! Subscribe @MaxBranstetter to watch full video interviews with Wild entrepreneurs like Dane
- [41:09] Check out the Wild Business Growth podcast on Goodpods, where you can see what your favorite people are listening to
- [41:10] Connect with me on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter (aka X), and Threads @MaxBranstetter and TikTok @WildBusinessGrowth
- [41:11] Save time with your high-quality podcast. Email me at to bring your podcast to life and use it as a business-building tool
- [41:19] Sign up for the Podcasting to the Max newsletter at MaxPodcasting.com/Newsletter and receive How to Edit Your Podcast in Audacity. It’s where podcasting meets entrepreneurship – and terrible puns
- Theme music: Freestyle Percussion Magik – “Jungle Tribe” – provided by Jamendo
What is the Wild Business Growth podcast?
Wild ideas. Wild growth. Every Wednesday morning a new entrepreneur joins the Wild Business Growth podcast to share the wildly creative and unusual ways they grew their business – and teaches you how to do it, too. Hear the minds behind WordPress, Stacy’s Pita Chips, Drybar, NFL RedZone, Big Mouth Billy Bass, the voice of Bart Simpson, and more Wild stories. Hosted by Max Branstetter (that’s me), Founder and Podcast Producer at MaxPodcasting.
How do you start a podcast?
Interested in starting a professional-sounding and professional-looking podcast for your brand, but don’t want to deal with the time commitment of all those behind-the-scenes details? I’ve got you covered. Email me at to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool.
Thanks for listening to Dane Barnes on the Wild Business Growth podcast. To hear more Wild stories like this one every Wednesday morning, follow the Wild Business Growth podcast and tell a friend about it. And Shibumi it up with them on a beautiful beach. Until next time, Let your business Run Wild…and Bring on the Bongos!!
