Advice Line with Jeff and Curran Dandurand of Jack Black Skin Care

The Setup

Guy Raz brings back Jack Black Skincare co-founders Jeff and Curran Dandurand to help three founders from their original episode work through business challenges. Inga Potter from Cold Current Kelp, Ashley from Âme Atendre, and Brent from GOSO Cookware each call in with a specific problem, and the Dandurands respond with lessons from building Jack Black into the top men's skincare brand in the United States before selling to Edgewell.

Inga Potter and Cold Current Kelp

Inga Potter runs a regenerative kelp farm and skincare company in Kittery, Maine. She wants to grow but worries that scaling production could ruin the small-batch quality that makes her brand special. Jeff and Curran say this is the classic founder's dilemma—demand outpaces the original manufacturing setup. Their advice: find partners who get the brand's standards, guard the supply chain, and never cut corners on formulation. They also tell her to use the regenerative story as a premium selling point instead of competing on price or volume.

Ashley and Âme Atendre

Ashley founded Âme Atendre, a luxury tableware brand in Park City, Utah. She wants to stand out in a crowded home goods market. Jeff and Curran tell her to lean harder into the brand's emotional promise—tending to your soul—instead of leading with product features. They argue that tableware competes on ritual and story, not just utility, and that Ashley should show how her pieces fit into real meals and gatherings. They also warn against distributing too widely; selective placement in curated stores will keep the brand feeling special.

Brent and GOSO Cookware

Brent runs GOSO Cookware, a premium camp cookware line based in Nelson, British Columbia. He struggles to get outdoor retailers to stock his product alongside bigger names. Jeff and Curran share their own experience breaking into golf pro shops and高端 gyms, noting that one great retail partner beats a hundred random ones. They advise Brent to target specialty outdoor stores whose shoppers already seek lightweight, durable gear, and to pitch a full philosophy—get outside, stay outside—rather than just a list of pan specs. They also suggest building credibility through gear reviews and adventure influencers before walking into buyer meetings.

Main Points

The Dandurands return to three ideas throughout the conversation: guard the brand story, choose partners with care, and recognize that early quality and positioning choices are the hardest to undo once the business grows. Guy Raz closes with a clip from the original Jack Black episode, reminding listeners that the scrappy decisions made in the first years often become the foundation of everything that follows. The show wraps with its usual call for listener business challenges.