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Episode 231: Athena Kasvikis – Bra Architect, Founder of Behave Bras

Athena Kasvikis, the Founder and CEO of Behave Bras, joins the show to share her journey from hating the bras on the market to creating the wire-free line of bras made for the biggest busts. Hear entrepreneurship lessons from brand management, how to break into a challenging industry, say yes to everything, talk to your customers more, and what makes Wegmans such a magical place. This episode covers everything from the bra industry to running through brick walls. Here’s a small sample of what you will hear in this episode:

• How was Athena’s experience in StamVegas
• What’s the biggest difference between working in the corporate world and starting your own company
• How did Athena develop the actual bras
• The Lingerie Mafia
• Who do you know
• What’s a decision Athena made that turned into an inflection point for the business
• Has she tested her Weird Talent
• What’s the best way to make commuting more bearable

Connect with Athena at BehaveBras.com and Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @BehaveBras.

Enjoy the shoooooow! Check out the show notes below for much more detail. You can also find the full transcript here.

Show Notes

• Intro & Brand Management
  • [0:31] Email me at max@maxpodcasting.com to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool
  • [0:40] Connect with Athena at BehaveBras.com and Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @BehaveBras
  • [2:18] Oh, behave!
  • [2:26] Shoutout, The Big D!
  • [2:42] How was Athena’s experience in Stamford, CT aka StamVegas
  • [3:02] Summer Fridays
  • [3:11] I-95
  • [3:24] Norwalk, CT
  • [3:42] Indiana University (IU)
  • [5:25] P&G (Procter & Gamble), Sun Products, Henkel
  • [5:54] What entrepreneurship lessons did Athena learn from brand management
  • [6:02] ABM (Assistant Brand Manager or Associate Brand Manager)
  • [6:30] CEO (Chief Executive Officer)
  • [9:13] MBA (Masters of Business Administration)
  • [9:38] Skip this part
  • [9:52] What’s the biggest difference between working in the corporate world and starting your own company
  • [11:02] LLC (Limited Liability Company), Google
  • [11:50] Sales Tax, Nexus
  • [12:02] Networking
  • [12:52] Facebook

• The Behave Bras Story
  • [13:08] What’s different about Behave Bras
  • [16:05] Naivete
  • [16:18] MaxPodcasting
  • [16:49] Am I glad I didn’t know how hard entrepreneurship would be
  • [17:21] Cost-Benefit Analysis
  • [17:41] Unicorn
  • [18:47] Come on, Max
  • [19:05] How did Athena develop the actual bras
  • [19:17] Mentor
  • [19:32] The Lingerie Mafia
  • [20:24] Technology (Tech)
  • [20:26] Stayz
  • [22:32] Waltham, MA
  • [22:41] MassChallenge
  • [23:05] Yeah, dude!
  • [24:17] COO (Chief Operating Officer)
  • [24:54] Randy Branstetter – Wild Business Growth Podcast #171: The Chicken Man aka The Chicken Mafia
  • [25:11] CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods)
  • [27:34] Ohhhhhhh
  • [29:00] Who do you know
  • [29:54] OU Certification
  • [30:54] What’s a decision Athena made that turned into an inflection point for the business
  • [31:05] Shark Tank
  • [33:19] Business Plan
  • [34:43] How did Shark Tank find Athena
  • [35:02] LinkedIn
  • [36:12] Sign up for the Podcasting to the Max newsletter at MaxPodcasting.com/Newsletter and receive How to Edit Your Podcast in Audacity
• Inspiration & Creativity: People, Hobbies, and Resources
  • [37:13] How can you be and stay creative
  • [37:33] Accounting, Finance
  • [37:46] Fractional CFO (Chief Financial Officer), CPA (Certified Public Accountant)
  • [37:54] Profit & Loss Statement (P&L)
  • [38:17] Marketing Slogan, Social Media
  • [39:11] Same here!
  • [40:05] Peloton
  • [41:17] TikTok
  • [41:32] How do you talk to your customers more
  • [41:52] Email
  • [42:57] Investors

• The Unusual: Pet Peeves, Quirks, and Weird Talents
  • [43:54] What’s a Weird Talent Athena has
  • [44:21] Has she tested that talent
  • [44:28] Zoom
  • [44:40] Nice one
  • [45:05] What’s a quirk Athena has
  • [46:26] What’s her biggest pet peeve
  • [46:44] The Wizard of Oz
• Rapid-Fire Q&A
  • [48:17] How involved is Mr. Wonderful these days
  • [49:04] The Princess Bride
  • [49:15] What’s the best way to make commuting more bearable
  • [49:58] Shoutout, Shannon, Kim, and Gary! Simon Business School
  • [50:15] Is Athena a bigger Dinosaur Bar-B-Que or Wegmans fan
  • [51:35] Income
  • [52:00] Little League World Series (LLWS)
  • [52:21] Kroger
  • [52:34] Stop & Shop
  • [53:15] Whole Foods
  • [53:54] Lifestyle Brand, Love Brand
  • [55:04] Connect with Athena at BehaveBras.com and Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @BehaveBras
  • [55:48] Austin Powers
  • [55:51] What are Athena’s Final Thoughts
  • [56:34] Follow the Wild Business Growth Podcast and tell a friend about the podcast. And 5 stars on Apple Podcasts & Spotify if you’re feeling extra nice
  • [56:50] Check out the Wild Business Growth Podcast on Goodpods, where you can see what your favorite people are listening to
  • [56:52] Connect with me on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn @MaxBranstetter
  • [56:55] Save time with your high-quality podcast. Email me at max@maxpodcasting.com to bring your podcast to life and use it as a business-building tool
  • [57:00] Sign up for the Podcasting to the Max newsletter at MaxPodcasting.com/Newsletter and receive How to Edit Your Podcast in Audacity
  • 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, 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 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 max@maxpodcasting.com to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool.

Thanks for listening to Athena Kasvikis 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 watch Austin Powers with them. Oh, Behave! Until next time, Let your business Run Wild…and Bring on the Bongos!!