09

Michael Dubin

You Can’t Just Switch it Off



Most people just dream of going viral. Michael Dubin has actually pulled it off.

Michael Dubin went from being rejected from every business school he applied to and being laid off from Sports Illustrated to revolutionizing how razors are sold in America with Dollar Shave Club. 

Beyond operational ingenuity and opportunity spotting, Mike made use of his talents in sketch comedy and improvisation to create a video in 2012 that lit the internet on fire and birthed a generation of “direct-to-consumer” businesses. Four years later, Dollar Shave Club counted over 3M subscribers and secured a $1B sale to Unilever. 

Has fame and fortune changed him? Not really. 

In this interview, we’ll talk about the cultural undercurrents that enabled Dollar Shave Club and provide a peek behind the curtain of how multinational corporations approach acquisitions and divestitures. We’ll also drink a lot of MUD\WTR as Mike talks about his latest creative endeavors in screenwriting, his pause practice with Vedic meditation, and the sentimental bowl in which I serve mike a homemade peach and fennel salad.

Finally, if you’re interested in joining our Friday morning  Santa Monica swim club “The Starfish,“ send me a DM on Twitter or Instagram @swhnorton

Listen : Spotify | Apple | YouTube
 




Show Index

00:00 Meet Michael Dubin: The Man Behind Dollar Shave Club
02:39 Improv Fun: The Question Game
04:22 The Dollar Shave Club Journey
13:09 The Role of Humor in Branding
21:12 Meditation and Mental Reset
30:01 Dollar Shave Club's Journey with Unilever
32:55 Advice for Entrepreneurs
35:17 Writing a Screenplay: A New Challenge
38:11 Hot Takes


Show Notes