Danny Winer: Co-Founder & CEO of HexClad
Episode 552
On this episode of The Kara Goldin Show, join us as we dive into the inspiring story of Danny Winer, Co-Founder and CEO of HexClad. Danny shares his fascinating journey from a career in entertainment to revolutionizing the cookware industry with HexClad's innovative hybrid design. Discover how HexClad has transformed the kitchen essentials market, leveraging strategic brand partnerships and valuable feedback from culinary experts to achieve rapid growth. Listen as Danny recounts the challenges and victories along the way, the invaluable lessons learned, and the exciting new developments on the horizon for HexClad. With endorsements from top chefs like Gordon Ramsay and Dominique Crenn, HexClad's cookware isn't just changing how we cook—it's enhancing what we can achieve in the kitchen. Don’t miss out on this episode, filled with entrepreneurial insights and the spirit of innovation. Tune in now on The Kara Goldin Show!
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https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-winer-647bba90
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https://www.hexclad.com
Transcript
Kara Goldin 0:00
I am unwilling to give up that I will start over from scratch as many times as it takes to get where I want to be I want to be, you just want to make sure you will get knocked down. But just make sure you don’t get knocked down knocked out. So your only choice should be go focus on what you can control control control. Hi, everyone and welcome to the Kara Goldin show. Join me each week for inspiring conversations with some of the world’s greatest leaders. We’ll talk with founders, entrepreneurs, CEOs, and really some of the most interesting people of our time. Can’t wait to get started. Let’s go. Let’s go. Hi, everyone. And welcome back to the Kara Goldin show where we spotlight the trailblazers who are making a significant impact in their industries. And today, I’m super excited to welcome Danny Weiner, who is the co founder and CEO of an incredible brand that I had not heard of, but I am so happy that I discovered it. It’s called HexClad, and it’s a brand that’s revolutionizing the cookware industry with its innovative and design for word hybrid pans. And his journey from pursuing a totally different industry and entertainment. ended up founding HexClad is nothing short of inspiring. And I’m excited to dive into Danny’s entrepreneurial journey, the challenges that he’s had if he’s had any, and the secrets behind HexClads success. So let’s get started. Welcome, Danny. Kara, thank
Danny Winer 1:39
you so much for having me. Yeah, absolutely. So
Kara Goldin 1:42
I’d love to hear the inspiration behind starting HexClad and how did your background in entertainment and in the restaurant business, I guess influenced your entrepreneurial journey?
Danny Winer 1:55
Well, good question to start, just briefly, I mean, I think, you know, a lot of people end up in Los Angeles, because they want to be in the entertainment business in some way. And obviously, you know, I wanted to be that, you know, actor slash producer slash writer slash director, you know, you know, and, you know, essentially, I was, like, an unemployed George Clooney want to be in a way. And, and the thing is, you know, it’s a great business, but it’s hard, and it’s kind of soul sucking. And, you know, there’s that point where you say to yourself, you know, what’s your plan? B? Yeah, I don’t believe that, you know, oh, it’s a cop out to have a plan B, I think you’re smart to always have a plan B, because plan a rarely works out in life. So and sometimes, because you have a plan B, you get to go back to plan A, that’s later in life. So essentially, you know, I always had a love for food. You know, my immigrant grandmother was the first head chef in Buffalo, New York, and the 19/51, female head chef, and, you know, with a third grade education, and you know, and a passion for food. So this was something that was always something, as a family that was important to us, not only the cooking, but the, the celebration around the table that we all, you know, tend to have. And so it was something that was something I could still have a passion for. And that was in the background. And essentially, I actually worked for another cookware company with my co founder. And we were became very good friends. In fact, you know, he’s one of those guys very straight to the point. And I remember he walked into my office one day, and I was his boss at the time. And he, he just looks at me up and down. He goes, you’re getting fat. You’re coming to the gym with me tonight. So I’m like, Okay, I guess I’m going to the gym. I guess I’ve been behind the desk a bit too much. And we started working out every night. And that’s when we started talking about founding our own company. You know, I’ve kind of told this before, the man who ran our company, you know, I went to him, and maybe about 12 years ago, and I had Facebook up on my computer. And I said, Look, this is where we need to be. We need to create a community and that’s the future and he did one of these kinds of hands to the face. And he goes Listen, kid, this Facebook thing, it’s never gonna last. And I’m like, okay, and that night at the gym, I’m like, all now’s the time. And it took us a little bit of time to figure out exactly what we wanted to do. And that was around 2013 ish. And and we really, I would say we had a first product that failed. It did well for bed. It was A cold pressed juicer. And it was a kind of a a, I feel like it was bit of a revolutionary product, because it was easy to clean, which was very unusual for a juicer. What it was, though, was we misread the market. And this is something I say to entrepreneurs, I was focused on what was important to me and not, I wasn’t solving the problem, really, that the market had, which is something as entrepreneurs, that’s going to be a very, very telling gauge of your success. So I liked juicing, I’m like, I want to, I want to convince you to juice. That’s, you know, it’s hard enough to sell your product. But then when you add on, I’ve got to sell you a lifestyle first, and then I’m going to do the product. Yeah, that’s that’s kind of a recipe for disaster. And, and so when I call it hubris, maybe not quite hubris, but there was maybe a little bit of arrogance and what I thought we could do. Luckily, the best part of our strategy at the time was, we said to ourselves, we want to have multiple products, and the kitchen were a category. No other room in the house has as many options as your kitchen. You know. So, I mean, whether it’s a wineglass all the way to a tablecloth, to your frying pan to your knife, there’s just a lot of options there. So, you know, we were open to exploring all those areas, we didn’t necessarily say we’re going out just to do cookware. Because of our knowledge of the space and, and holes in the marketplace, I think it has uniquely set up to identify where progress could be made, made in the product development. And that kind of set us up to have our eyes open for something like x class.
Kara Goldin 7:08
So interesting for I mean, I think that that makes tons of sense. I think you also touched on, I hear so often people are going after a demographic. And I think that you can go after every single demographic around, but if you’re not solving a problem for them, especially with today’s consumer, then, you know, there’s just too much noise out there. They want products that are like, good to do that. And and also where they’re going to spend their money really depends on that. So I could not agree with you more on who this consumer is.
Speaker 1 7:45
Yeah, I mean, that’s, that’s a really good point. It’s one thing to, to make someone aware of a problem they, they didn’t realize they had. And then soon as they hear it, they go, Yeah, you know what? Yeah, my frying pans don’t hold up, or my, you know, my frying pans don’t get a, get a sear on foods. It’s one thing to do that versus me trying to convince you that, you know, you have this problem you get and people go out, well, I don’t really see that. And then I’m putting all this energy into trying to convince you, you have this problem. If people don’t see it, you know, sometimes they’re very aware of it. And sometimes they just need that gentle nudge. And if you can do one of those two things, whether they see it or gently nudge them in the direction you need them to go. you position yourself for success, I think.
Kara Goldin 8:39
Absolutely. So I mentioned the restaurant industry. So what experience did you have in the restaurant industry?
Speaker 1 8:46
Well, you know, really, it was, you know, when you know, I started and, and, you know, it waiting tables in university. I mean, I was very lucky, my parents didn’t pay for my tuition, but they’re like, we’re paying your tuition. You know, we’re not paying for your booze in college for not paying for your food. So I had to work, you know, to support myself during university days. So there was and a real easily gateway job was the waiter. And that turned into the bartender and then it turned into a bar manager, but that’s really kind of where my experience ended in the restaurant. It’s not like I was a GM or ever opened a restaurant. To be frank, restaurant owners killed themselves, restaurant managers killed themselves chefs killed themselves. Seeing like the way like my grandmother in all my aunts and uncles, they were all in the restaurant business. That was like a lifestyle I didn’t really want for myself. So So yeah, I figured there There’s other ways to be in, in the food area without, you know, working till 3am in a restaurant every day.
Kara Goldin 10:07
Yeah, no, absolutely. So how would you describe HexClad and its mission within the cookware industry? What What sets HexClad apart? I mean, obviously, there’s lots of pans and, and cookware items out there that people can choose. And there’s a lot of education that goes on around it. But what was the thing that you saw was really missing in the industry?
Speaker 1 10:36
I would say this, you know, because of my experience with my previous company, you learn what, what are people’s pain points, and, and you realize which of those pain points are not being addressed by what’s currently in the market. So, for me, I just innately knew that and as we were trying to think of what products we want to bring to market cookware was on the list. But I happen to have one of those, you know, Lucky encounters in a way, where I met the man who invented the laser etching process that we use to make our hexagons and he was making those on at the first product was a Korean barbecue plate. He’s Korean. And, and we’re starting to sell this in Korea. And I, you know, I’m like that is unique. And not only does it look unique, which is always great when your product can be differentiated very quickly, just from the way it appears, that’s a bonus. But it looks cool. So so the form is there, but it’s the function there. And what I learned was, Wow, there was some really interesting technology to this laser, laser etching of hexagon. So now, the more I learned about it, I said, Great, people hate that they have to be very careful about using plastic utensils with a pan. Well, you can use metal with these people want pans that clean up easily. Well, we have nonstick on these. But yet, you don’t have to worry about scratching it very easily with like the first time you use a spatula, and then it winds up peeling and flaking off in your food. One thing people disliked about traditional nonstick was you could not get a very good golden brown sear on your foods. And wait, you’re actually cooking on these stainless steel hexagon. So you got this great sear. But the thing that really mainly attracted me to this was the durability aspect. Because call me a bad businessman. Like I don’t like asking you to pay for the same thing over and over again. You know, if I made it, you’d buy one iPhone, and you’d have your iPhone for 20 years. But I figure if I make an amazing frying pan. And last for you, you’ll buy another size from me. Or you’ll buy a pot or you’ll buy a griddle or something else. I didn’t want to make a product where the product is ending up in a landfill every two years, like a lot of the other cookware companies. We saw product we did all the testing, we’re like this is a lifetime product. And this is very rare to give something a lifetime warranty in this in this space. And I’m like we have a product that I can proudly look at somebody and say, You don’t have to buy that 12 inch pan again, in two years. You don’t have to buy it again in four years, you’re gonna have it for 15 years, 18 years. And if it doesn’t last, we’re gonna give you a new one, because we believe it will hold up that way. So that was really important to both myself and call my goals my co founder by the way,
Kara Goldin 14:04
I love it. So where did the name HexClad come from? So
Danny Winer 14:12
so I you may or may not know this. So when we said we were starting a new cookware company, and then we said we were going to be the first direct to consumer cookware company. I went out trying to raise money and I got laughed out of rooms. Nobody. They you know, they’re like, well, cookware is pretty competitive. There’s a lot of old legacy brands, you know, how are you going to get shelf space at William Sonoma or Bed Bath and Beyond at the time. I’m like, that’s good. We don’t want shelf space. We’re going to be the first online direct to consumer cookware brand. And they were like Well, thank you for stopping by as they’re scoring me out of the office. So Cole and I completely bootstrapped this I mean, we cashed out our retirements, emptied our savings account, we We played applied for credit cards. And then we would pay one credit card with a different credit card. So we had to do everything ourselves. And, and that included coming up with the name. We couldn’t afford to hire a branding company. So we’re trying to figure it out. And we knew we had to have a name the next morning at 9am and trademark and Amon call. It was 9:30pm. And Cole and I were on the phone. And he was like, Well, what about HexClad? And I’m like, I don’t know. I don’t know. Let’s keep thinking. And then about 20 minutes later, he’s like, buddy, I gotta go to sleep. All right, let’s just do HexClad and he trademarked it the next morning at nine, nine o’clock. And so we could start our design work on the box. But even like, even our logo, we we’ve gotten so many compliments on our logo, it’s great. We had no money. So I found a website, I put up a competition for like to win $200 to design our logo. And we got these, these people, these artists from like India, and Indonesia and all around the world. And we got all these amazing logos and and then we just picked one it was you know, it was quite fortuitous, I guess. No way. But, you know, sometimes things are aligning that way. And you know, and you just kind of ride that wave of good fortune.
Kara Goldin 16:23
Yeah, we laugh. When I developed the company, I founded hint, same kind of thing. Like I didn’t actually think it was. I mean, I really was just doing it as like a side hustle. I was a tech executive. I wasn’t in the I never worked in the beverage industry. And when I was describing it to my husband, who I was pregnant with my fourth, and he thought I was out of my mind. He was like, Wait, what are you doing? You have no idea what you’re doing. And he’s like, so what’s the name? And I said, hint, it’s like a hint or giving people hints. It’s yeah. 10. And I said, it was like total confidence. And he he’s like four letter words, you’re never gonna get the trademark. He’s an IP attorney almost was almost was a patent trademark attorneys. Like there’s no way you’re not getting it. And I was like, I’m the business person. You’re the attorney. And just file it. And we got it. So the moral of the story, don’t even listen to your lawyers. That you can’t get it because you never know.
Danny Winer 17:33
Yeah. And that’s great. Because it’s a really good name. Hint it you know, you remember it. You know, that’s like going away, people remember our name and had like, yes, there wasn’t going to be a HexClad already trademark, because no one had to own the hexagon. Part of it. And we wanted to own the fact that this was a clad pant pan of layers of steel and aluminum. So when we put it together, we knew we would get trademark, but what we needed was it to be memorable, and it was memorable people remember the name of it. So
Kara Goldin 18:03
you are moving from being a supporter and employee. And then prior to that you were in a totally different industry? Now you’re starting a company, you have to figure out, how do you actually pay for the company? How do you get your first products? How do you get the name all of these things like I meet with so many entrepreneurs, part of the reason when I started this podcast is I love the stories, like the HexClad story that you mentioned. But there’s so many stories that go on that don’t actually get told, right? You just I mean it. There’s just no opportunity maybe if somebody’s asking you the question, but how did you figure out how many SKUs you were supposed to launch with how, you know, what was your go to market strategy where you’re going to try and get into a major retailer where you’re going to do direct to consumer, how did you figure all this out?
Danny Winer 19:01
So well, as far as like, like, say, what skews are we going to offer we had experience in cookware, we knew what the popular pieces were. So our pans are a very difficult pan to manufacture actually, and there’s still a significant amount of the manufacturing process is still by hand, which is very unusual. Yes, they are bent into shape by a machine. But our pans are hand Polish three separate times. And we’ve never been able to create a machine or a robot that can do it as well as a person does it. So it’s labor intensive. It’s very hard to create each pan also because of the hexagon design. So like for us to it took two years for us to figure out how to make the sauce pans with you know, so there were some challenges we knew going to market with with frying pans. Those are the workhorses, right. Those are the ones you replace over and over again. So we started planning with those, we knew we knew very quickly we were going to need saucepans. So before we even started selling anything, we had them working on that. So essentially, after we launched, we had the saucepans within about six months after launch. But, you know, then you go, you got to be very smart about as you add skews, because we didn’t have a lot of money for the r&d of new pieces, we didn’t have a lot of money really, to do like any type of focus groups. So we were very nimble about collecting our data as to what people are going to want afterwards. Now, our goal was always to be d to c, that was like the thing why we couldn’t get an investor. You know, we had people that looked at these pans go, these are really new, you reinvented the wheel, this is a better mousetrap, yet, they didn’t believe in the way we wanted to go to market. And, you know, I hope they’re regretting it now. But, but it’s fine, because Cole and I kept the whole company that way, too. So we could do whatever the hell we want it. And when we were taking risks, we were only risking, you know, our futures, as opposed to, you know, the friends and family round, or any, you know, any VC company that wanted to invest in us, we didn’t have to listen to anyone. And we could go with God, which is, which is really nice. And some entrepreneurs get to do that, but some don’t. And, and I really think there’s something crazy about founders, and as a founder, you know, we’re taking a big risk. And there’s this fine line of really believing what your gut is telling you. Yet, being humble enough and open minded enough to, to ask questions from the people around you. You know, it, you know, everybody after the juicer, everybody goes, Yeah, I love that idea. And I’m like, Well, why they held it. And you say that before I did all this work. But I learned there, I’ve got to ask everybody, let me get their feedback, whether it’s, you know, there’s kind of no bad feedback, I find it’s either not useful, or it’s very useful, but it wasn’t bad. So being able to take that from people, you know, sometimes it gave me confidence that what I was believing in was, was was the right path. And then sometimes it made me tweak stuff a little bit. And, and but it was, but that was all good. And, and it worked. Because you know, when you’re bringing in new technology, in a, in an old category, there becomes a level of storytelling which needs to take place. And, and I was able to kind of hone this story with the people around me. And what what’s resonating with you? What, you know, what, what’s your value prop that’s going to make you go, you know what, I am going to give you 400 bucks or 500 bucks. You know, I think that’s that’s, that was very key for me. So how
Kara Goldin 23:20
did you find this customer base, and also this loyal customer base? Because it sounds like you’ve really found people who are kind of speaking about your mission and what you guys do and the problem that you’re solving. So how do you do that?
Danny Winer 23:34
So poor? That’s a really good question. Because it’s like, tough because there’s multiple parts of it. One, you got to have a great party product. Like we said, earlier, we’re talking about identifying a problem or a hole in the market. Okay, and you’re fixing this problem. Okay, so now I’m fixing it from a product development perspective. But you know, what, if that product sitting in some three PL somewhere, it doesn’t help anybody I got, I’ve got to get the story out. So for us, it was figuring out that level of messaging, and the messaging was three parts. One, it’s the value prop of the actual product. Does that resonate with you as a consumer? You know, you can use metal utensils, you can get a great sear that goes in the oven, it goes in the dishwasher, those are all great value props. So that might resonate with you. I’m also what is the company stand for? And the two things that I wanted the company to stand for. And I wanted to make it clear to the consumers. We were about innovation in this space, where you’re going to make it better than you have currently are. We’re not going to do it. If we can’t make a better mousetrap. We’re not going to do it. We’ll move on to the next product. So we want people to know that but we also want to people to know that we stand behind the product. We’re making products that the majority of pecks, plant products have a lifetime warranty on them. And you can’t do that frivolously, or you go broke. We develop products that that lasts a long time. So I want people to know that and then I want them to know that we stand behind them. So there’s going to be some problems, something’s gonna break, something’s going to wear out, we weren’t expecting and guess what, we’ll give you a new one, I want you to, I want you to know that, that you got this company behind you. And also, I want you to know that I want you to get to the point that when you think about your kitchen, you don’t need to go online and do any research. You just go Oh, Hex clad, makes the best stuff. So let’s just go to the hex clan webs website, and I’ll get the knives there. Or, you know, I’ll get this Peppermill there. Because we’ve established that. And then that third part, the last thing is, how do I make you feel as a consumer, using our products, there’s an experience to using them, I want you to feel confident as a chef, I want you to feel satisfied as an artist, because you’re creating this amazing dish. I want you to feel like a badass, because that’s what we started this saying we’re badass cookware, and there’s a badass and all of us, there’s a badass, and a seven year old girl who’s making her first grilled cheese. And there’s a badass for grandpa who’s making his oatmeal, and there’s a badass and all of us. And we just need to find that we made cookware for that badass and all of us. So that experiential feeling is part of it as well. And I think because we were kind of clear about that, from the beginning, we were able to figure out our messaging to encompass all that as we moved along.
Kara Goldin 26:58
Really interesting. So you have a whole list of amazing, amazing chefs Gordon Ramsay, Dominique Crenn, Nancy Silverton to just name a few as part of this community. How did you get them? I mean, there’s so many choices for them to be a part of something. But how did you get them so interested? Again, you’re not a you know, you weren’t working at one of the big cookware companies before? Or maybe you were working with one but you weren’t, you didn’t found it and sell the company and like, all of those kind of aspects of it. I mean, how did you go about getting them?
Danny Winer 27:40
You know, it’s so strange when you’re, you know, when you’re building this thing, and, you know, we went from from having packed the boxes ourselves, because we couldn’t afford to have the cookware come in boxes. We can save money by boxes and coals backyard. Yeah, ourselves. You go to that, and then like cut to the, you know, the summer of 20 the pandemic started. We’re, we’re crushing it. And, you know, and the guy who was managing our social medias, like, do you know, Gordon Ramsay is following us on Instagram. I’m like, No, amazing, amazing. Good. I reached out. Yeah, reach out, you know, some DM him and, and we DM him. He had a pan. And we heard Yeah, somebody gave him a pan, you cooked on it at home during the pandemic, and he really liked it. And next thing you know, I’m on a call with his business manager A few days later. And he’s like, Gordon likes your pants. And I’m like, I’m flattered. He’s like, Yeah, you know, we’re very particular about who we really partner with. And look, Gordon likes it if you want to, if you want to give him like a million dollars, he’ll do a commercial for you. And I’m like, Well, I don’t know if I have a million dollars. But he goes, but he really likes it. And Gordon’s a businessman at heart. He loves this. And I think he’d like a more robust role. And I go, interesting. Tell me more about this. He’s like, Well, you know, he’d maybe like to partner up and help you develop products and you know, use them in the restaurants. And, you know, I’m like this, this is resonating, and I’m like it, and I’m pinching myself. I’m like, It’s the biggest chef in the world. It’s the Michael Jordan of cooking. And he’s one of the biggest stars in the world. I mean, when I’m with him, we’re walking around people are yelling is screaming Gore Gore, like at football stadiums are like, like he’s Mick Jagger. Yeah. And so we he and I hit it off in our first zoom call. And we were aligned in what he liked was our, our attention to the detail of making a better product. A durable product that people can get behind by one’s joy for life. On, and then he put the product through his paces in his restaurants. And he came back and he’s like, yeah, it’s holding up better than anything we’ve used in there. And, and then Gordon came on as a partner. And he’s been amazing. And obviously, that gives you a bit of legitimacy. A lot of people like, Oh, you’re paying for it? Well, Gordon is an equity investor in the company. And he’s very involved. You know, I talked to him day before yesterday, I proved we probably talked once a week about business, antibody life. I’ve learned a lot from Gordon. And because of that, I think that kind of made people take really take notice of hex clap, but then something happens, like, well, in the UK, we got this great shop. His name’s Paul Ainsworth. And Paul worked for Gordon. And he’s not really well known, well known in the US yet. But he’s been the host of a couple of TV shows. He’s Michelin starred. He’s like, kind of like he’s beloved in the UK. And Paul came on, because Gordon gave him hands. And he’s just like, I love your products. And you know, and then you hear these chefs that you kind of love like I you know, for me, these are my like rock stars are. And I had a kind of a business crush on Dominique credit. I just loved the way she carried herself. I watched her Chef’s Table. And somehow we got connected. And we had a phone call. And she’s like, I like your pants. I go, let me send you a few more. And she used them and she like, I love them. And she goes, but what I love the most is that you’re building a product for a lifetime. It’s very important to me that these aren’t built for one to two years. And they end up in a landfill and I want to keep reselling you the product. So Dominic’s like I love it. And then she mentioned you she goes, You know, I’m really good friends with Nancy Silverton. And she’s like Nancy would love your products. Cut to I’m having one with Nancy silver 10. She’s like, I think you’ve got a great product. And that’s something I believe in and I get behind. And then all of a sudden, we’re working with Nancy. And now Claire Smith, just we announced in the UK. And she’s like a national treasure. She’s the only three Michelin starred female chef in the UK. And she is an absolute rock star talent. She’s so impressive. So we have this group of the best chefs in the world, supporting us, which is amazing. And I will say this last thing on it is the thing that I love is they love the product for their restaurants. But more importantly, they love it for their homes. And that means so much to me, because we didn’t design it for the restaurant. We designed it for the home chef. And the fact that, you know Dominique Crenn wants to use it in a restaurant.
Kara Goldin 32:43
Yeah, as a bonus. Well, it’s, you know, it’s interesting. Again, going back to him, I remember getting a phone call from John Legend, John Stevens, this was named years ago, and he just loved him. And he went on and on about he had founded at Starbucks and how, you know, he has to drink water when he’s out there singing and he has to stay healthy, and how what a grind it is and his schedule. And it even got more crazy. I mean, I don’t know when the guy sleeps, but people would call me over the years and say, Oh, I just saw John Legend and PISA at a concert. And he’s got a hint on the piano, you know? And it’s like, how do you get him to put the hand on or on the piano bench? Or should say, but how do you get them to do that. And I’m like, he just does it. Like, just, and he’s an equity investor as well. But it’s like when you have people who are so passionate, who have some skin in the game to but also are super passionate about what you’re doing. And they can tell your story. That’s so powerful. So powerful, really
Danny Winer 33:51
well said, Yeah, it really is, you know, they know I’m trying to sell you something and I am. But I’m trying to say something of quality, you know, so, but but when these other people do it when they get behind it when they’re putting their, their their credibility behind it, you know, and that’s a big thing with Gordon, you know, he was like, you know, I don’t want to put my name on it. If it’s not if it’s not great. He doesn’t do a ton of those type of partnerships. In fact, he does. Almost non he’ll do in a commercial, but like get really getting involved with the partnership. Yeah, couple in his career. That’s it.
Kara Goldin 34:24
Yeah, that’s awesome. So as an entrepreneur, if you had to name like one lesson that has been again, this was your, you’re a first time entrepreneur, you’ve done you’ve had incredible experience in other companies, but I always say it’s just really different. The buck stops with you. And even if you were sort of supporting other entrepreneurs or you’re in you’re in a large company before and now you decided to go hang a shingle and do your own thing. Everybody thinks like there’s like some massive difference in And, and something that’s really challenging, it’s not impossible, otherwise you wouldn’t be here. But it’s, but if you had to name like one thing that you didn’t know, going in, to this that has been really sort of eye opening, you
Danny Winer 35:15
know, I would say like a piece of advice, something that I learned during this journey was, is to absolutely embrace your failures. I learned so much more from my failures than I have my successes, you know, I, you know, the things I’ve been successful at some times, you know, you just go well, it was fun, it was supposed to be successful, you know, so, you know, let me just pat myself on the back a little bit. But failure really prepares you to, to be successful, when it’s challenging. And things is too and I would say, like, I’ve had a lot of a lot of failures in my life. And I’ve had a lot of successes. But I kind of want to, I don’t want to look at the failure, because it’s, essentially, when I look at the failure, most of the time, you have to look in the mirror, as well. And yeah, sometimes there are things that are completely out of your control. But usually, the reason why you failed is because of you something you did, and it’s okay. It’s okay to fail, right? You know, nobody wins 100% of the games, so you got to look at what you did wrong, just like a football team, they watch the tape on Monday to look for what they did wrong. And that and then you correct those things. So I would say to every entrepreneur, as painful as it is, look at your failure, really examine what your role was, in that you’ll learn a lot about the way you, you were responsible for that. And you take those learnings to the next opportunity that you make for yourself, take those learnings, and you’re a lot more likely to be successful than, you know. I think that’s like, the most important thing to me. No,
Kara Goldin 37:05
I think that that’s so key. I always say that that’s probably why athletes are incredible entrepreneurs, not every athlete, but especially the ones that, you know, have have worked with people that are that are better than them work, meaning we’re part of a team where you’ve got people, you’ve got a huge appreciation for other people, you also fall down have to get back up. But I would also now after talking to you, I think actors are added to that too, right? The I mean, if you were to hear that somebody had been rejected, like 30 times, you’d probably like, want to give them a shot, too. So sometimes actually owning your failures is is super key to you’re going to have somebody who’s going to give you more of a shot. And I’ve always said actually in hiring people, one of our best employees for him, had actually started a business that went out of business. And he was a you know, sole proprietor selling cheese. And he came to us and said, I just need a job. And I need to do something. And he like rose through the ranks very quickly really understood it. And you know, a lot of people think like, Oh, I’ve been fired, I, I have failed. There’s nothing I can do. And there’s a lot of things that you can do. But it starts with actually owning it and knowing why. So absolutely agree with you. So well. Danny Weiner, co founder and CEO of hex Cloud. Thank you so much for your wisdom. Best of luck with everything. We’ll have all the info in the show notes. Everyone needs to get some HexClad for sure. And good luck with everything. It’s it’s super awesome.
Danny Winer 38:51
Thank you so much. It’s really it’s really been a pleasure.
Kara Goldin 38:54
Thanks again for listening to the Kara Goldin show. If you would, please give us a review and feel free to share this podcast with others who would benefit and of course, feel free to subscribe so you don’t miss a single episode of our podcast. Just a reminder that I can be found on all platforms at Kara Goldin. I would love to hear from you too, so feel free to DM me. And if you want to hear more about my journey, I hope you will have a listen or pick up a copy of my Wall Street Journal, best selling book undaunted, where I share more about my journey including founding and building hint. We are here every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Thanks for listening and good bye for now.
