The Blueprint to Disrupting “Boring” Industries | EP91 … — Transcript

Cordell Broadus and Sam Rockwell discuss disrupting traditional industries by blending culture, creativity, and bold execution with Dr. Bombay ice cream.

Key Takeaways

Disrupting traditional industries requires blending culture with authentic storytelling and bold execution.
Startups thrive when founders are hands-on and willing to fix problems themselves.
Innovation in consumer products should reflect the vibrancy and diversity of the target audience.
Building a brand rooted in culture creates deeper connections and loyalty among consumers.
Entrepreneurial legacy and personal drive are key motivators for creating impactful businesses.

Summary

Cordell Broadus and Sam Rockwell share insights on building Dr. Bombay, an ice cream brand targeting multicultural, young consumers.
The brand aims to disrupt the 'old and dusty' ice cream category by infusing hip hop culture and authenticity.
Urgency, hands-on involvement, and fixing problems personally are emphasized as critical to startup success.
The partnership between Cordell and Sam combines creativity, storytelling, and strong business execution.
Dr. Bombay reflects a cultural connection, especially within the hip hop community, making ice cream a shared passion.
The discussion highlights the importance of evolving startups through continuous learning and doing.
They address the lack of innovation in traditional consumer categories like ice cream and furniture.
The episode underscores how culture can become a company’s foundation and drive brand growth.
Both guests credit their entrepreneurial fathers for inspiring their drive to create and build independently.
The conversation also touches on the balance between DIY problem-solving and knowing when to hire experts.

Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown

Speaker A

Cordell and Snoop, they like to move fast. And when you get on the team, it's like, all right, we line on a play, it's like a football play. You're going to go this way and that way and the other way, break. And then I get a text from Cordell, all right, we there? Like, well, I didn't even get to the line yet, you know, which honestly, that urgency is so important in business, because if you're complacent, you're dead.

Speaker B

Yeah.

Speaker A

All right, today's episode is a big one. I am joined by two people who prove that creativity and execution are the real superpowers in business.

Speaker A

First is Cordell Broadus, creative director, entrepreneur, CMO, and yes, the son of Snoop Dog. Yeah, that Snoop Dog. But this young man is very much carving out his own legacy at the intersection of culture, storytelling and brands.

Speaker A

Next to him, Sam Rockwell, not that Sam Rockwell, co-founder, co-founder and CEO of Happy Co. That's Happy with an I.

Speaker A

The company behind some of the boldest, fastest growing brands in all of consumer. And right in the middle of all of it is an incredible brand. Yep, these two have partnered to build us Dr. Bombay ice cream.

Speaker A

Turning a cultural idea into a nationwide brand that you can find in any freezer aisle now. It's blowing up. We're talking about Love Sac collab. Got to happen.

Speaker A

In this episode though, we're not just talking about ice cream. It's about how culture becomes the company and the people who are bold enough to build them.

Speaker A

So, please welcome to the show, Cordell Broadus and Sam Rockwell.

Speaker C

Thanks for having us.

Speaker B

Yes, sir.

Speaker C

Thank you, Sean.

Speaker A

This is going to be fun.

Speaker C

Good to be with you guys.

Speaker A

All right, so, without thinking too hard, you know, you've heard of today's Shaonism.

Speaker A

Fix stuff yourself.

Speaker A

What what's the first thing that came to mind for you guys?

Speaker B

At the house, the wife always want me to do stuff.

Speaker A

Are you really?

Speaker B

Sometimes. Well, I I know how to hire people that's hands on.

Speaker B

You know, I'm like, I'm a connector.

Speaker B

I'm a connector, which is why partnering with Sam Rockwell was very, very important for our brand.

Speaker B

To be able to soar as high as soar.

Speaker C

Yeah.

Speaker C

I think fix stuff yourself.

Speaker C

Things are going to break.

Speaker C

That's one thing that I've learned in this business.

Speaker C

And they don't fix themselves.

Speaker C

And when you get a start a business, um, there's no process.

Speaker C

And when you create a process, there's nobody to implement the process.

Speaker C

You have to do those things.

Speaker C

And so, not only do you have to fix things, you have to do things.

Speaker C

You have to do things to fix the other way.

Speaker C

And it's a continuous cycle.

Speaker C

And I think, this is my opinion, but the best startups evolve out of the startup phase.

Speaker C

When everybody rolls up their sleeves and does the work.

Speaker A

Yeah.

Speaker C

That's how you learn the business from start to finish.

Speaker A

Yeah.

Speaker A

It's inevitable.

Speaker A

What's cool is, uh,

Speaker A

just like a couple episodes, I had Beatrice Dixon, I don't know if you know who that is, she founded Honey Pot.

Speaker C

Mm-hmm.

Speaker A

It's like a women's care brand, blown up.

Speaker A

She's all over social media.

Speaker A

And our topic was hire a plumber.

Speaker A

Like what you said.

Speaker A

And the trick is, you got to be willing to fix stuff yourself.

Speaker A

You got to be able to fix stuff yourself.

Speaker A

And then you got to know when it's right to hire it out, right?

Speaker A

Like, uh, you know, oxymorons to each other.

Speaker A

But that's the and that's what makes it so hard.

Speaker A

That's what makes getting something off the ground so difficult.

Speaker A

So, with Dr. Bombay, you know,

Speaker A

why does the world need another ice cream brand?

Speaker A

Tell us about that.

Speaker B

I just feel like personally there isn't an ice cream brand that speaks to our generation.

Speaker B

To multicultural young generation.

Speaker B

Um, just wanted to be a brand that's a bit edgy.

Speaker B

Be a brand that's authentic and that doesn't feel old and dusty.

Speaker B

Um, not to throw shade at, you know, our competitors, but like, we want to be that loud, vibrant brand.

Speaker B

That can, you know, step into hip hop, that could step into all these different realms.

Speaker B

And still feel authentic and not feel like it's forced or it's a gimmick or it's just a paid out.

Speaker B

Um, you know, we love ice cream.

Speaker B

Me and my father, that's how we got to bond.

Speaker B

Growing up, he'll take me to ice cream shops.

Speaker B

And we'll eat ice cream after football practice.

Speaker B

And it was just a thing that we did.

Speaker B

And I feel like in the hip hop community, we don't really vocalize how much we love ice cream.

Speaker A

Is this is this a thing?

Speaker A

Ice cream is a thing in the hip hop community?

Speaker B

Ice cream is a thing.

Speaker B

I was at school, I went to Harvard Executive Education program with Lil Baby.

Speaker B

And when we got out of class, he took me to a store.

Speaker B

And we bought, well, he bought a bunch of popsicles.

Speaker B

And I was under the impression that he going to share the popsicles.

Speaker B

He ended up eating the whole box to his show.

Speaker B

And I was like, damn, you love ice cream like we love ice cream.

Speaker B

And that's how we got to bond and he ended up investing in Dr. Bombay.

Speaker B

And, you know, now he's a real partner.

Speaker B

And that just shows you like our community really loves ice cream.

Speaker B

And we just want to be, you know, the brand that the youth and hip hop can enjoy.

Speaker B

And feel like it's a part of the culture.

Speaker C

Because it sounds like it's been.

Speaker C

It's like everyone's an ice cream fan.

Speaker C

But it's in the closet.

Speaker C

You don't even know.

Speaker C

Exactly how he describes it.

Speaker B

Like my dad eat ice cream in that little back.

Speaker C

When that little back room that he stays in.

Speaker C

It's like the little.

Speaker C

He comes out of he comes out of doorways.

Speaker C

I'm like, where'd you get that?

Speaker C

What?

Speaker C

What?

Speaker C

You going to pass it around?

Speaker C

So he didn't pass it around enough.

Speaker C

So we had to start making our own.

Speaker A

So he he'll he'll pass the weed, but he won't pass the ice cream.

Speaker B

Well, he got boundaries.

Speaker A

Yeah.

Speaker A

That's crazy, man.

Speaker A

I I mean, who would know?

Speaker A

Who would know?

Speaker C

I mean, it it it really is an old and dusty category.

Speaker C

It's something that everybody understands.

Speaker C

Everybody loves.

Speaker C

But there hasn't been innovation and disruption to talk to the new generation of consumers.

Speaker C

Like Cordell mentioned.

Speaker C

And so, I I give Cordell.

Speaker C

I give his dad a lot of credit.

Speaker C

In thinking about the people.

Speaker C

That they interact with on a regular basis through social channels and through other media platforms.

Speaker C

Um, it's not of the vanilla category.

Speaker C

You know?

Speaker C

And and that's the truth.

Speaker C

And vanilla is something that will always have its place on the shelf.

Speaker C

But the innovation needs to go out to other places.

Speaker C

There's more vibrance in the world.

Speaker C

There's more opportunity in the world.

Speaker C

And why would we stick to chocolate, vanilla and caramel?

Speaker A

you know, to hear you guys talk about it.

Speaker A

It's like it's always there in front of us.

Speaker A

I mean, in my business it's the same in a way.

Speaker A

You know, couch.

Speaker C

I wish we had one of yours right now.

Speaker A

Right?

Speaker A

I mean, what are these chairs, right?

Speaker A

But like every single human in America has a couch.

Speaker A

Practically, you know, if if you have a place to live, you got a couch.

Speaker A

No one thinks about couches.

Speaker A

We had the chance to disrupt that.

Speaker A

Everyone eats ice cream.

Speaker A

You know?

Speaker A

Uh, but who's thinking that there's an opportunity there?

Speaker A

Um, but it's but then when you start explaining it like that,

Speaker A

it seems obvious.

Speaker A

And that's why that's when you know, I've found this like,

Speaker A

when you know an idea is a good idea when you're like, ah, I should have thought of that.

Speaker A

You know what I mean?

Speaker A

Like, who didn't think that about like a love sack, right?

Speaker C

I I think it also comes back to in my opinion.

Speaker C

The doing.

Speaker A

Yeah.

Speaker C

Because a lot of people have ideas about a lot of different things.

Speaker C

But it's actually going out and doing it.

Speaker C

And that's where I give credit to Cordell.

Speaker C

More so than anybody else.

Speaker C

Um, Cordell grew up in a famous family.

Speaker C

And and him and I have a common thread in the sense that like our fathers are entrepreneurs.

Speaker A

Mm-hmm.

Speaker C

And had an impact on our lives.

Speaker C

And we didn't sit back and say, wow, they did a great job.

Speaker A

Right.

Speaker C

We're we're here.

Speaker A

Cash the checks.

Speaker C

We wanted to step in and build something on our own.

Speaker C

And that requires doing.

Speaker C

It's not just ideas.

Speaker C

Um, and I think that that has been a huge differentiating factor in this brand.

Speaker C

But I attribute it to the people that are behind the brand.

Speaker C

Cordell and I are called the tip of the spear.

Speaker C

But everybody else within the organization follow suit.

Speaker C

You know?

Speaker C

Ideas are great.

Speaker C

We've got some of the most famous people in the world that are co-founders and curators of this brand.

Speaker C

How do we execute on that?

Speaker C

When when I tell people, Cordell's my co-founding partner, they're like, oh, yeah, so is he?

Speaker C

What's he sitting back in?

Speaker C

Nope.

Speaker C

He's scooping ice cream actually right now.

Speaker C

That's why he's not here.

Speaker C

So, um, I think it's part of the culture that we're building here.

Speaker C

And I I attribute that to why this brand has gained traction over the first few years that it's been in market.

Speaker C

That's cool.

Speaker C

It's cool to see.

Speaker C

So.

Speaker C

Look, if you could, you've now had some amazing successes.

Speaker C

Sam and food.

Speaker C

Right?

Speaker C

You've got products.

Speaker C

Distributed widely through Walmart.

Speaker C

What started as a waffle stand on a college campus?

Speaker C

Is now a multi-brand, you know, organization.

Speaker C

Um, if you could give give one piece of advice to help other entrepreneurs.

Speaker C

Who are back where you were, maybe in any point, shave a chunk off their own 25-year journey.

Speaker C

That's kind of the spirit of this podcast.

Speaker C

What was that piece of advice?

Speaker C

Start.

Speaker C

Start.

Speaker C

You could plug in numbers to a spreadsheet all day.

Speaker C

But that's not going to be the doing.

Speaker C

Just start.

Speaker A

Yeah.

Speaker A

I love your story.

Speaker A

You know, when you describe that first day.

Speaker A

You saw you tell the story real quick.

Speaker A

About waffles on the mountain and where that led.

Speaker C

I'm not a rocket scientist.

Speaker C

And I'm not a chef.

Speaker C

I'm a consumer.

Speaker C

And so I was 20 years old, skiing on a ski mountain.

Speaker C

Saw a guy selling waffles on the base of the ski mountain, there's 30 people lined up.

Speaker C

It's 20 degrees.

Speaker C

More people than degrees temperature.

Speaker C

Well, what's going on here?

Speaker C

Waited in line, which Cordell knows, I don't like to wait in line.

Speaker C

I'm on the move.

Speaker C

But I waited in line, this changed my life.

Speaker C

Try this Belgian style waffle that's not a toaster waffle like an Eggo.

Speaker C

It's like a pastry.

Speaker C

It's sugary.

Speaker C

It's sweet.

Speaker C

What is this?

Speaker C

Like, I want to bring that to a non-seasonal market.

Speaker C

You go to a ski mountain, it's December to March.

Speaker C

What if we bring this to a big city, New York, Chicago, places where it's 365 days a year?

Speaker C

Like, this is a good idea.

Speaker C

Reference my dad a lot.

Speaker C

He's had a lot of.

Speaker C

You know, he's had an impact on me.

Speaker C

And influence.

Speaker C

I said, I want to bring this.

Speaker C

He said, great idea.

Speaker C

So what do I do?

Speaker C

He's like, just do it.

Speaker C

Don't talk to me about it.

Speaker C

If you want to do it, do it.

Speaker C

But it's not going to happen on its own.

Speaker C

So, that is the ultimate foundation of in the first place.

Speaker C

That we sold a waffle was at what we call the Mifflin Street Block Party.

Speaker C

At University of Wisconsin.

Speaker C

Which is not affiliated with the university, I'm sure they would like me to.

Speaker C

Give that disclaimer.

Speaker C

But it is a, it's a fun block party where people indulge.

Speaker C

And we were able to offer something else for them to indulge in on that day, which was a waffle.

Speaker C

And, um, while we were told we were allowed to set up shop there legally.

Speaker C

I'm pretty sure.

Speaker C

It was, I'm glad it went under the radar.

Speaker C

We'll just put it that way.

Topics:Cordell BroadusSam RockwellDr. Bombay ice creamstartup advicebusiness disruptionculture and brandinghip hop cultureentrepreneurshipconsumer productsinnovation

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