Advice Line with Tara Bosch of SmartSweets
SmartSweets founder Tara Bosch joins Guy Raz on the Advice Line to counsel early-stage entrepreneurs on scaling their ventures. The hosts advise Lindzi Shanks on moving gourmet marshmallow brand XO Marshmallow into grocery retail, help swimwear designer Vivi hone her digital brand storytelling and niche marketing, and guide Ali Aguilar on evolving her whimsical subscription box, Romanticize Collective, toward in-person community experiences. Along the way, Bosch shares insights from her newest high-protein snack venture, Snackish, and discusses how her approach to entrepreneurship has shifted as a second-time founder.
- Lindzi Shanks discovered through customer interviews that XO Marshmallow buyers actively reject protein and fiber additions; they want clean sweetness, not functional supplements disguised as candy. Read →
- Lindzi Shanks built XO Marshmallow to nearly $5 million in direct-to-consumer sales over ten years before deciding to expand into physical grocery stores. Read →
- Ali Aguilar, founder of Romanticize Collective, faced an operational crossroads: continue spending capital to market monthly physical boxes or transition the brand into offline community meetups. Read →