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Building a Business From the Ground Up with Sean Lake of BUBS Naturals

Robert Sikes

• October 25th, 2021

In a market flooded with nutritional supplements, how do you make your product stand out and your business successful? Sean Lake’s business model is beyond admirable and his products are top of the line, making BUBS Naturals a staple in the collagen and MCT oil industry.

Sean Lake grew up in Winchester, Massachusetts, before moving to Utah to become a professional snowboarder and general ski bum. Once he got that out of his system, he graduated from the University of Utah, using that degree to join Burton Snowboards, work as Shaun White’s Team Manager, and land a spot as the Director of Sports Marketing at DC Shoes. After decades in action sports marketing, Sean co-founded BUBS Naturals, a line of collagen peptides and other all-natural supplements that help athletes at all levels perform and feel their best.

Sean named BUBS Naturals after his childhood best friend Glen “BUB” Doherty, a Navy SEAL who was killed in Benghazi, Libya on 9/11 in 2012. In addition to remembering Glen for the patriot he is, the BUBS ethos centers around the passionate and adventure-seeking life that Glen lived. Sean and the BUBS Naturals family further honor “Bub” by donating 10% of all profits to charities that support veterans.

What we discussed in this episode:

The backstory behind BUBS Naturals (2:04)
Sean’s experience as a professional snowboarder (5:07)
How the loss of his best friend Glen affected the trajectory of his life (9:27)
The formation of the Glen Doherty Memorial Foundation (10:43)
The beginnings of BUBS Naturals (12:03)
Benefits Sean noticed when he first started using collagen (13:24)
The difference between BUBS Naturals and other collagen companies out there (18:31)
Sean’s goal to remove the barriers to trying collagen (20:06)
Branching out to offer other products, such as MCT oil powders (21:02)
Making the switch from sports marketing to building a brand and product-based business (22:24)
The risks behind starting any business and finally taking that leap of faith to move forward (24:44)
The importance of having passion to fuel your personal and business pursuits (26:51)
Sean’s experience with the competitive supplement industry and the rigorous testing his products go through (29:02)
The importance of being honest and transparent with your customer base (31:34)
BUBS Naturals support of the Glen Doherty Memorial Foundation (34:02)
Robert’s experience walking 50 miles to raise awareness for veterans suffering from PTSD (36:30)
The bond that is formed with others who are going through a similar situation, be it positive or negative (37:09)
The importance of challenging yourself physically and mentally (40:36)
Self-improvement as a lifelong journey (42:14)
Business tactics and marketing strategies that have worked well for Sean and BUBS Naturals (43:31)
Never sacrificing business integrity 52:28)
What new things are in the works for Sean and BUBS Naturals (53:05)