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Episode 290: Tina Sharkey – Social Media Pioneer, Brandless and iVillage

Tina Sharkey, the Advisor, Professor, and Co-Founder of Brandless and iVillage, joins the show to share her journey from working at Sesame Street to disrupting the categories that demand our attention today. Hear how she got the job with Sesame Workshop, how to manage your time as an advisor, when you are most productive, how she coined the term social media, and the Sesame Street character who made her most starstruck. This episode covers everything from QVC to USC. Here’s a small sample of what you will hear in this episode:

• What did Tina learn from working at Sesame Street
• Where did the idea for Brandless come from
• TYSM
• How do you get better at time management
• What should you do right after a meeting
• How did Tina coin the term “social media”
• What has surprised her about teaching college students
• A letter from Big Bird

Connect with Tina at TinaSharkey.com.

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

Show Notes

• Intro & Sesame Street
  • [0:29] Email me at max@maxpodcasting.com to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool
  • [0:38] Connect with Tina at TinaSharkey.com
  • [1:54] Fantastic, Actually
  • [2:11] How did Tina get the job with Sesame Workshop
  • [2:27] iVillage
  • [2:47] Q2, QVC, Barry Diller, Ann Sardini
  • [3:04] Lincoln Center
  • [3:11] Lionel Hampton
  • [3:27] Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
  • [4:49] Nina Link
  • [5:01] CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read-Only Memory)
  • [5:28] Joan Ganz Cooney
  • [6:03] Internet
  • [6:52] What did Tina learn from working at Sesame Street
  • [7:35] Oscar the Grouch
  • [8:02] Madonna
  • [8:25] COPPA (Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act)
  • [8:45] Sticker World, iOS (iPhone Operating System)
  • [9:02] STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)
  • [9:23] Bit Literacy

• The Brandless Story, Advising, and Time Management
  • [10:10] Where did the idea for Brandless come from
  • [10:28] Millennials
  • [10:56] BFY (Better For You), Whole Foods
  • [11:48] Margin, CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods)
  • [12:19] SKUs (Stock-Keeping Units)
  • [13:16] How did they pick the products for Brandless in the early days
  • [13:32] Rachael Vegas, Jessica Glendenning
  • [13:42] Target, Target Private Label (up & up)
  • [13:52] HHPR (Household Penetration Rate)
  • [14:01] CT (Consumption Turns)
  • [16:03] TYSM
  • [16:28] How does your day-to-day change when you become an advisor
  • [17:32] P&L (Profit & Loss Statement)
  • [17:44] How do you get better at time management
  • [18:21] What should you do right after a meeting
  • [18:32] AI (Artificial Intelligence)
  • [19:28] When are you most productive
  • [20:18] The Wild Business Growth podcast is on YouTube! Subscribe @MaxBranstetter to watch full video interviews with Wild entrepreneurs like Tina
  • [20:48] 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
  • [20:50] Such an honor speaking at Podcast Movement ’23 in Denver! Sign up to grab the slides from my session at MaxPodcasting.com/PM23

• Rapid-Fire Q&A
  • [21:00] What has surprised Tina about teaching college students
  • [21:29] How did she coin the term social media
  • [22:26] DIY (Do It Yourself)
  • [23:42] Which Sesame Street character was Tina most starstruck by
  • [25:43] Connect with Tina at TinaSharkey.com
  • [25:53] What are Tina’s Final Thoughts
  • [26:39] 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
  • [26:50] The Wild Business Growth podcast is on YouTube! Subscribe @MaxBranstetter to watch full video interviews with Wild entrepreneurs like Tina
  • [26:59] Check out the Wild Business Growth podcast on Goodpods, where you can see what your favorite people are listening to
  • [27:00] Connect with me on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter (aka X), and Threads @MaxBranstetter and TikTok @WildBusinessGrowth
  • [27:02] 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
  • [27:08] 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 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 Tina Sharkey 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 Sesame Street with them. Until next time, Let your business Run Wild…and Bring on the Bongos!!