From World-Class Poker Player to DTC Powerhouse ft. Brian Tate

About this episode

Mike Gelb interviews Brian Tate about his journey from poker to building Oats Overnight and the importance of vertical integration in consumer brands.

Most food brands don’t win because of branding.They win because of systems.In this episode, Mike chats with Brian Tate, Founder and CEO of Oats Overnight, the protein-packed, drinkable oatmeal brand that went from a poker side project to a scaled, vertically integrated food business selling DTC and in major retailers like Walmart and Wegmans.Brian shares how his background as a professional poker player shaped the way he thinks about risk, iteration, and decision-making. He breaks down why Oats Overnight chose to vertically integrate manufacturing from day one, how owning production unlocked faster product innovation, and why DTC data became the engine behind retail expansion. The conversation also dives into growth marketing, subscription economics, manufacturing scale, and the hard tradeoffs of building an asset-heavy consumer business.You’ll learn:✅ How a pro poker mindset translates to building a consumer brand✅ Why Brian chose vertical integration instead of co-manufacturers✅ How Oats Overnight scaled DTC with subscriptions and creative testing✅ Why iteration is a core operating principle, not a buzzword✅ How DTC data informs product development and retail strategy✅ The real…

People in this episode

Host: Mike Gelb

Guest: Brian Tate

Topics covered

• DTC marketing
• vertical integration
• consumer brands
• risk management
• product innovation
• subscription economics

Keywords

• DTC
• food brands
• poker mindset
• manufacturing
• venture capital
• retail strategy
• product development

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Oats Overnight, Walmart, Wegmans

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