Kirsten Maitland is the co-founder of Rebel Cheese, an award-winning Austin-based vegan cheese brand backed by Shark Tank investor Mark Cuban. A former U.S. Navy veteran and Microsoft agile coach, Kirsten brings her background in tech innovation to reimagine plant-based dairy through traditional cheesemaking techniques and smart Ecommerce strategy.After leaving a stable four-day tech career to pursue purpose over comfort, Kirsten built Rebel Cheese from a six-bottle wine fridge experiment into a nationally recognized brand featured by The New York Times. From launching DTC overnight during COVID to scaling through broken shipments and real-time customer feedback, her journey reveals what it takes to grow authentically while staying true to your values.Whether you’re building a mission-driven CPG company or refining your feedback loop before scaling, Kirsten shares a masterclass in transforming curiosity and conviction into sustainable growth.In This Conversation We Discuss:<ul><li>[00:03] Intro</li><li>[00:55] Bringing tradition into modern food innovation</li><li>[01:30] Turning passion for food into a scalable concept</li><li>[02:34] Validating a product through emotional connection</li><li>[03:33] Turning crisis into new growth channels</li><li>[04:44] Fixing packaging with help from early partners</li><li>[06:03] Shipping curated boxes to customers’ doors</li><li>[07:00] Selling out with zero ads or paid marketing</li><li>[08:00] Turning online orders into lasting connections</li><li>[08:58] Delaying advertising to protect cash flow</li><li>[10:21] Stay updated with new episodes</li><li>[10:31] Learning to sustain momentum after viral moments</li><li>[12:24] Studying investor dynamics before pitching</li><li>[12:53] Episode Sponsors: Electric Eye & Heatmap</li><li>[15:32] Launching fast to gather real customer feedback</li><li>[18:01] Leveraging AI agents to save time and money</li></ul>Resources:<ul><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/HonestEcommerce?sub_confirmation=1">Subscribe</a> to Honest Ecommerce on Youtube</li><li>Plant-based cheese you'll actually love <a href="https://rebelcheese.com/">rebelcheese.com/</a></li><li>Follow Kirsten Maitland <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirstenmaitland">linkedin.com/in/kirstenmaitland</a></li><li>Schedule an intro call with one of our experts <a href="https://electriceye.io/connect">electriceye.io/connect</a></li><li>Clear, real-time data built for ecommerce optimization <a href="https://www.heatmap.com/honest">heatmap.com/honest</a></li></ul>If you’re enjoying the show, we’d love it if you <a href="https://getpodcast.reviews/id/1447700156">left Honest Ecommerce a review on Apple Podcasts</a>. It makes a huge impact on the success of the podcast, and we love reading every one of your reviews!

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352 | Turning Feedback Into a Founder’s Superpower | with Kirsten Maitland

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