Why Your First Product Isn’t Supposed to Work

About this episode

Brenden Silverman discusses the journey of creating Leilo, a wellness drink, and the importance of iteration and feedback in product development.

What happens when you take a centuries-old tradition and introduce it to a modern audience? That’s the question Brenden Silverman set out to answer with Leilo, a wellness drink inspired by kava – a traditional beverage from the South Pacific known for its calming properties. What started as a college experiment (complete with questionable early recipes and brutally honest feedback at frat parties) turned into a fast-growing brand. In this episode, Brenden shares how iteration, patience, and a little bit of scrapiness helped his team turn early skepticism into momentum. You’ll also hear how seller tools like Fulfillment by Amazon and Multi-Channel Fulfillment helped Leilo scale efficiently without getting buried in logistics. If your early experiments aren’t quite working yet, but you know you’re onto something – this episode is for you. Watch the full conversation on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@Thisissmallbusiness In this episode of This Is Small Business , you'll learn about: (01:16) — How early negative feedback might actually be your biggest advantage. (07:24) — The scrappy way to formulate a product when you can’t afford the experts. (10:56) — How Amazon can shortcut your…

People in this episode

Guest: Brenden Silverman

Topics covered

• product development
• entrepreneurship
• customer feedback
• scaling a business
• wellness drinks

Keywords

• Leilo
• kava
• wellness drink
• product iteration
• customer acquisition
• Fulfillment by Amazon
• Multi-Channel Fulfillment

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Leilo, Amazon

Places: South Pacific

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