Open Residency

The show for ambitious operators scaling their businesses.Hosted by Mark Brazil, co-founder of IKONICK, Open Residency is built around a simple idea: learn from the people who’ve already figured out what most entrepreneurs are still trying to solve—so you can become a more well-rounded operator.Mark sits down with the operators, marketers, creators, and specialists who are world-class at their craft. These conversations go far beyond what they’ve built and why—they break down exactly how they’ve done it. The tactical insights, frameworks, and decision-making processes that help you think c

Open Residency is a business podcast hosted by Mark Brazil, with 38 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Mark Brazil hosts Open Residency, a business show with 38 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

• 

  Episode #38

  Nima Jalali - Salt & Stone's Founder Breaks Down His 9 Figure Brand

  Aug 17, 20261h 10mS1

  Nima Jalali is giving you The Salt and Stone Founder Playbook , every framework from profitable day one to nine-figure exits → https://openresidency.com/nima-jalali-playbook Nima Jalali built Salt and Stone to 9 figures in revenue, stayed profitable from day one, and ran the company for years without outside investors. He shares the three pillars that turned his deodorant into a bestseller on Amazon and in Sephora, plus how he closed two major liquidity events in under 18 months while keeping control. He also gets specific about finding manufacturers without using Alibaba, the collaboration strategy that led to partnerships with Brain Dead, Aritzia, and Kendall Jenner's 818, and the mindset that carried him through two PE deals that reportedly totaled over $500M. NIMA JALALI Website: https://www.saltandstone.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nimajalali LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nima-jalali-07367568 ️ OPEN RESIDENCY Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/openresidency/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markbrazil/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markmastrandrea/ Website: https://openresidency.com/ Email: info@openresidency.com ⚡ POWERED BY Wispr Flow: 1 month FREE of Wispr Flow Pro with code OPENRESIDENCY → http://ref.wisprflow.ai/open-residency-aug26 Momentous: up to 35% OFF your first order with code OPENRESIDENCY → https://www.livemomentous.com/ CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Trailer 00:00:51 The Snowboarder Who Went Pro 00:03:36 From ACL to Starting a Brand 00:10:49 Why Deodorant Over Everything 00:18:48 The Formula That Took Years 00:21:55 Outselling P&G and Unilever 00:25:38 Number One at Sephora and Amazon 00:31:32 Why Collabs Aren't About the Money 00:35:21 Building 9 Figure Brand Fully Remote 00:47:43 Two Bites of the Apple 00:54:43 Why He Left Money on the Table 01:01:25 Quickstrike Questions

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #37

  Tyler Denk - If You Own a Business, You Must Start a Newsletter in 2026

  Aug 3, 20262h 3mS1

  Tyler Denk is giving you The Newsletter Playbook · beehiiv's path to $50M ARR → https://openresidency.com/tyler-denk-playbook?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=tyler_denk_playbook Tyler Denk turned Big Desk Energy, his newsletter, into a $400,000 side business working five hours a week. He did it by building and using beehiiv, the newsletter platform he co-founded. This conversation covers the entire playbook: pre-launch waitlists, email gates, referral programs, the Boost network, lead magnets, and paid acquisition. You'll also hear about the five main ways to monetize a newsletter, why Tyler raised a $12.5M Series A in six days, and how he manages 130 remote employees with almost no one leaving. It's a detailed look at founder-led distribution and newsletter economics. ⏱ CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Trailer 00:00:42 What Big Desk Energy Actually Is 00:02:50 Building in Public Before the Product 00:07:31 Pre-Launch Waitlist Strategy 00:09:13 Email Gates and the Content Flywheel 00:11:58 Referral Programs and Beyond 00:17:13 The Boost Network and Cross-Promotion 00:21:27 Lead Magnets That Actually Convert 00:24:26 Five Ways to Monetize a Newsletter 00:28:39 Direct Sponsorships and the Media Kit 00:41:44 Digital Products and Paid Subscriptions 00:47:54 The Costa Rica Founder Mastermind 00:52:39 Building in Public: Wins and Backfires 01:06:24 The beehiiv MCP and Agentic Workflows 01:26:38 Creator Economy in the AI Era 01:31:27 Running 130 People Fully Remote 01:35:32 Weekly Success List and All-Hands Rhythm 01:42:51 The $12.5M Series A in Six Days 01:50:29 Quickstrike Questions TYLER DENK Website: https://bigdeskenergy.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tylerdenk_/ X: https://x.com/denk_tweets LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyler-denk/ OPEN RESIDENCY Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/openresidency/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markbrazil/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markmastrandrea/ Website: https://openresidency.com/ Email: info@openresidency.com ⚡ POWERED BY beehiiv: Use code MARK30 for 30% off → https://beehiiv.link/dthris Wispr Flow: Talk 4x faster. Get 1 month of Pro free with code OPENRESIDENCY: http://ref.wisprflow.ai/open-residency-aug26 Poppy: A visual AI workspace for thinkers who hate linear chat. Get $25 off: https://getpoppy.ai/openresidency (use code "OR") Momentous: NSF Certified for Sport®. Use code OPENRESIDENCY at livemomentous.com for up to 35% off your first order. → https://livemomentous.com

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #36

  Remy Gaskell - The Only AI Masterclass You’ll Ever Need

  Jul 22, 20262h 24mS1

  Remy is giving you The AI Agent OS Playbook, everything from this episode in one free PDF → https://openresidency.com/remy-gaskell-playbook?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=remy_gaskell_playbook Remy Gaskell is a self-taught AI operator who teaches founders to run their businesses on AI agents. Most founders type prompts into a chat box one at a time and start from zero every session. Remy runs at 5-10x the output because he stopped chatting and built an operating system his AI already understands. In this episode he takes the whole thing apart: the shift to agents, the exact files on his own machine, and how to build one yourself. AI ONBOARD You re-explain your business in every new chat because your AI forgets the second you close the window. AI Onboard is Remy's Claude Code plugin that builds your whole AI operating system in one guided session, so it never forgets again. Half off for our audience → https://openresidency.com/onboard?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=ai-onboard ⏱️ CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Trailer 00:01:21 The shift from chat to agents 00:04:04 What "agent" actually means 00:11:08 The observe-think-act loop 00:18:01 Live demo: analyzing an Instagram Reel 00:20:24 Tuning an agent vs building one 00:22:45 Context files and the CLAUDE.md 00:44:03 A memory system that improves itself 00:52:06 MCP connectors, the universal translator 00:59:21 Security and permissions 01:02:19 Starter tool stack, Apify to Composio 01:18:21 Skills as SOPs for your AI 01:47:34 The Agent OS folder structure 02:06:46 The future of teams and intrapreneurship 02:16:20 Quickfire questions AI WITH REMY Course: https://go.theaicourse.ai/open-residency-spotify Newsletter: https://go.aiwithremy.com/open-residency-spotify Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aiwithremy/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/remygaskell/ ️ OPEN RESIDENCY Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/openresidency/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markbrazil/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markmastrandrea/ Website: https://openresidency.com/ Email: info@openresidency.com ⚡ POWERED BY beehiiv: the best platform to run a newsletter on → https://beehiiv.link/dthris Wispr Flow: 1 month FREE of Wispr Flow Pro with code OPENRESIDENCY → https://wisprflow.ai/?promo_code=OPENRESIDENCY&creator_name=Open+Residency&dub_id=5XTlXALwJFqVa2J1 Momentous: up to 35% OFF your first order with code OPENRESIDENCY → https://livemomentous.com Ketone-IQ: 30% OFF your subscription plus a free gift with your second shipment → https://ketone.com/openresidency

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #36

  John Terzian - How He Built One of America's Most Exclusive Hospitality Empires

  Jul 8, 20261h 32mS1

  In this episode, we sit down with John Terzian, co-founder of The H. Wood Group, to unpack how he built one of the most exclusive hospitality empires in the country from a club that got shut down by the city and left him broke at 27. John breaks down the scarcity model behind Delilah, Nice Guy, Bird Streets Club, and 10+ other venues that run on virtually zero paid marketing. We also go deep on the no-photos policy that spooked the Wynn, the economics of nightclubs vs. supper clubs vs. members clubs, the X Team CRM that scales relationships across cities, and the Diafa partnership that recapped a nine-figure company. All signal, no fluff. Enjoy! 📬 Get in Touch with Open Residency Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/openresidency/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markbrazil/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markmastrandrea/ Website: https://openresidency.com/ Email: info@openresidency.com 🎯 Powered by Wispr Flow - Visit https://ref.wisprflow.ai/open-residency-jun26 and use code OPENRESIDENCY for 1 month FREE of Wispr Flow Pro Momentous - Go to https://livemomentous.com and use code OPENRESIDENCY for up to 35% OFF 1st Order Ketone-IQ - Visit https://ketone.com/openresidency for 30% OFF your subscription order PLUS receive a free gift with your second shipment—fun surprises like a free 6-pack, Ketone-IQ merch, and more. 00:00:00 Trailer 00:01:15 Scarcity as the Core Strategy 00:05:00 The No Photos Policy Origin 00:07:07 Convincing the Wynn to Go No Photos 00:11:48 First 90 Days Opening a Venue 00:13:03 Chiaroscuro Lighting Philosophy 00:18:40 H. Wood Club Shutdown at 27 00:21:54 Word of Mouth vs. Paid Marketing 00:34:28 Nightclubs vs. Restaurants vs. Supper Clubs 00:45:34 The X Team and VIP Rolodex CRM 00:52:28 Bird Streets Club and the Members Model 01:03:55 Sports Hospitality, SoFi and the Cavs 01:12:39 H. Wood Media and the Magic Johnson Doc 01:16:32 888 Midas and Investing with Caleb Williams 01:20:05 Hakkasan Deal and the Diafa Partnership 01:28:54 New Venues Announced 01:29:25 Quickstrike Questions

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #34

  Georgios Frangulis - The Franchising Playbook That Built 1,000 Stores In 9 Years

  Jun 18, 20261h 53mS1

  Georgios Frangulis is giving you The Oakberry Franchise Playbook, every framework and unit economics breakdown from the episode in one free PDF → https://openresidency.com/georgios-frangulis-playbook?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=georgios_frangulis_playbook In this episode, we sit down with Georgios Frangulis, founder of Oakberry, to break down how he built a 1,000-plus location franchise empire across 50 countries starting from a 60-square-foot kiosk in Brazil. He walks through the full franchise model, unit economics, verticalization, and the Amazon supply chain that became his moat. We also go deep on the Le Mans FC acquisition, the F1 and tennis sponsorship strategy that built the brand without direct-response spend, and how he stays in startup mode at $300M in revenue. All signal, no fluff. Enjoy! 📬 Get in Touch with Open Residency Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/openresidency/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markbrazil/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markmastrandrea/ Website: https://openresidency.com/ Email: info@openresidency.com 🎯 Powered by Ketone-IQ - Visit https://ketone.com/openresidency for 30% OFF your subscription order PLUS receive a free gift with your second shipment—fun surprises like a free 6-pack, Ketone-IQ merch, and more. Momentous - Go to livemomentous.com and use code OPENRESIDENCY for up to 35% OFF 1st Order Wispr Flow- Visit https://ref.wisprflow.ai/open-residency-jun26 and use code OPENRESIDENCY for 1 month FREE of Wispr Flow Pro 00:00:00 Trailer 00:01:05 Franchising 101 00:04:19 What Franchisees Actually Get 00:07:53 Royalties, Fees, Marketing Fund 00:12:13 The Multi-Unit Franchisee Playbook 00:13:27 Unit Economics, 15 to 18 Percent EBITDA 00:18:31 Why Oak Berry Went Corporate in the US 00:25:01 Master Franchise Structure Explained 00:42:04 Verticalization, the $15M Factory Bet 00:49:41 The Amazon Supply Chain 00:55:47 The Origin Story, Cancer, and First Store 01:06:45 The Insurance Check That Started It All 01:19:52 F1 Sponsorship ROI per Market 01:22:52 Tennis, Indian Wells, and $500K in 9 Days 01:27:35 Le Mans FC and the Sports Investment Thesis 01:40:53 Prompt Shop and the AI Marketplace 01:44:31 Quickstrike Questions

  ListenShow Notes

Based on semantic analysis of episode topics and host coverage, this show is a strong guest fit for executives in:

Industry fit is computed by PitchCentric using vector embeddings of the show's episode catalog.