About the Guest
Justin Mares is a serial entrepreneur and angel investor. He’s the Founder of Kettle & Fire, Perfect Keto, and Surely Wine and a Venture Partner at Long Journey Ventures. His products are sold in more than 10,000 retail stores, and each of his companies does tens of millions of dollars in annual sales each year. He strives to make a dent in the problems with our food system and improve the trajectory of health in the United States.
Justinmares.com | Twitter | Newsletter
Chapters
- (00:00:00) - Introduction
- (00:01:06) - Recent Fascination: Environmental Chemicals and Crime
- (00:04:43) - Justin Mares’ Daily Routine: Focusing on Six To Dos Per Day
- (00:09:12) - Reflection: Enjoy the Ride & Trust the Process
- (00:11:45) - Biggest Lessons Learned as an Investor
- (00:16:59) - Exercise Routine: Three Lifts Per Week, Mobility, Swimming, and Pickleball
- (00:21:06) - Justin Mares’ Superpower: Identifying Trends
- (00:23:19) - Tiny Habit: Fitting in 5 Minute Workouts Throughout the Day
- (00:24:55) - Favorite Books: The Three-Body Problem & The Company
- (00:27:45) - Advice to Younger Self: Spend More Time Learning From Others
Episode Guide
Justin Mares has a knack for identifying trends and building D2C businesses to own them—including Kettle & Fire, Perfect Keto, and Surely Wine. Learn how he identifies trends, why he focuses on just 6 tasks each day, how he gets in 25+ minutes of exercise with tiny 5-minute mini workouts during the day, and more.
“I’ve learned to appreciate that people systematically undervalue and write off things that are super weird or that they just don’t understand. So I look for areas where most people think that X has a probability of 10% and I think it’s really closer to 40-50%.” — Justin Mares
Justin Mares’ Favorite Books
Justin shared his all-time favorite books including:
The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu
- Set against the backdrop of China's Cultural Revolution, a secret military project sends signals into space to establish contact with aliens. An alien civilization on the brink of destruction captures the signal and plans to invade Earth. Meanwhile, on Earth, different camps start forming, planning to either welcome the superior beings and help them take over a world seen as corrupt, or to fight against the invasion. Justin Mares says of The Three-Body Problem, “It’s just utterly fascinating. It made me think in a different way.”
Buy it now: Print | eBook | Audiobook
The Company: A Short History of a Revolutionary Idea by John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge
- With apologies to Hegel, Marx, and Lenin, the basic unit of modern society is neither the state, nor the commune, nor the party; it is the company. From this bold premise, John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge chart the rise of one of history’s great catalysts for good and evil. The authors reveal how innovations such as limitations on liability have permitted companies to rival religions and even states in importance, governing the flow of wealth and controlling human affairs–all while being largely exempt from the rules that govern our lives. Justin Mares loves The Company because, “I’m interested in what social technologies that can be created, invented, and promoted to address some of the challenges we face today.”
Buy it now: Print | eBook | Audiobook
Related Episodes
If you enjoyed this episode with Justin Mares—Founder of Kettle & Fire, Perfect Keto, and Surely Wine—don’t miss our other interviews with serial founders and entrepreneurs:
- #65 Peel, Shepherd, and NeedWant: Solving Simple Problems and Building Profitable Businesses | Marshall Haas, Serial Entrepreneur
- #92 1-800-GOT-JUNK and O2E Brands: How Failure Can Be Your Key to Success | Brian Scudamore, Founder & CEO
- #44 The New Consumer: What The Best Consumer Brands Get Right and The Future of D2C | Dan Frommer, Founder
Searchable Transcript
For more, explore the transcript of this episode.
