Money Rehab with Nicole Lapin - Can't Find the Product You Want? Make It! with Claudia Oshry and Ben Soffer

Episode Date: September 7, 2022

What happens when you can't find the product you want? Claudia Oshry and Ben Soffer would say: you make it. Claudia and Ben (the minds and married couple behind @girlwithnojob and @boywithnojob, respectively) do, in fact, have many jobs. Today, Nicole talks about one in particular: founder of the sparkling cocktail brand, Spritz Society. Claudia and Ben tell Nicole how they started this brand from their own needs as consumers, and what it has to do with a fateful bathroom experience. To learn more about Spritz Society, click here: https://www.spritzsociety.com/ 

One of the most stressful periods of my life was when I was in credit card debt. I got to a point where I just knew that I had to get it under control for my financial future and also for my mental health. We've all hit a point where we've realized it was time to make some serious money moves. So take control of your finances by using a Chime checking account with features like no maintenance fees, fee-free overdraft up to $200, or getting paid up to two days early with direct deposit. Learn more at Chime.com slash MNN. When you check out Chime, you'll see that you can overdraft up to $200 with no fees. If you're an OG listener, you know about my infamous $35 overdraft fee that

I got from buying a $7 latte and how I am still very fired up about it. If I had Chime back then, that wouldn't even be a story. Make your fall finances a little greener by working toward your financial goals with Chime. Open your account in just two minutes at Chime.com slash MNN. That's Chime.com slash MNN. Chime. Feels like progress. Banking services and debit card provided by the Bancorp Bank N.A. or Stride Bank N.A. Members FDIC. SpotMe eligibility requirements and overdraft limits apply. Booths are available to eligible Chime members enrolled in SpotMe and are subject to monthly limits. Terms and conditions apply. Go to Chime.com slash disclosures for details.

Hey guys, are you ready for some money rehab? Wall Street has been completely upended by an unlikely player game stop and should i have a 401k because you don't do it no i know you think the whole world revolves around you and your money well it doesn't charge for wasting our time i will take a check. Like an old school check. You recognize her from anchoring on CNN, CNBC, and Bloomberg. The only financial expert you don't need a dictionary to understand. Nicole Lappin. Money Rehabbers, are you ready to laugh?

Today we have Claudia and Ben Ostry, aka the minds and the married couple behind the internet personalities Girl With No Job and boy with no job. But plot twist. They actually do have jobs. They have quite a few jobs, including one in particular that we're going to be talking about today. Claudia and Ben launched a sparkling cocktail brand, Spritz Society.

The beverage industry is a really difficult one, as you probably know, with big competition and low margins. But Claudia and Ben have tackled it like champs and now have some lessons to share. So let's get into it. Well, Claudia and Ben, I'm so excited to say welcome to Money Rehab. Thank you. I'm excited to be here. Girl with no job, boy with no job. We've been calling you guys couple with no job just internally. And then I looked on instagram and i was like wait a minute who is mike and victoria that have couple with no job excuse me i mean you guys to sue them ben and i like to role play at night he's mike and i'm victoria

well for the couple with no job uh you guys have a lot of jobs uh i would love to talk about spritz society your sparkling cocktail brand how did you guys become interested in starting this brand you're living together sleeping together right and now working together yeah um yeah so yes definitely living together sleeping together married for five years together for 11 so really awful 10 10 almost 11 10 isn't it 11 in september it's 10 you're positive i'm a woman i'm with claudia it's 10 10 it feels like 11 i love to lie though like all the time like we've been together for 30 years but it's 10 10. 10. Okay. Well, 10 is still a really solid amount of time. So origin story of Spritz Society, the decade before launching Spritz Society, I worked in traditional marketing roles,

overseeing influencer and celebrity marketing agencies with the goal of understanding product market fit, why brands succeed, why some fail, why some influence all products or influencers get paid to promote, but don't end up driving any ROI for the brand. And what we wanted to do was leverage our audiences. I built my own Instagram following, as you know, boy with no job, Claudia's girl with no job. Claudia is the morning toast, which is the number one female millennial morning show. It's a podcast that goes live every morning. And they have a massive base. And Claudia is also a touring comic and New York Times bestselling author. So the accolades on her. So zero jobs.

What she's done is pretty amazing. And the core here is the audiences that we've built over the last decade are really authentic. The way that we relate to them is not from this celebrity perched on a hill looking down on their audience. It really is. They're just like us. And as a result, we wanted to make a product that was in their image. So what we did was we put together a Google form asking our audience their opinions on logos, flavors, can designs, alcohol percentage, alcohol base. And we called that R&D group, the Spurt Society. So the name of the brand, Spurt Society, comes from the empathetic approach we took to building it through our communities two years ago. That's the full story. The side story is Claudia was a big, hard seltzer drinker, found out that she was allergic to malts and sort of the lack of transparency in the space

pointed towards an opportunity to make wine-based sparkling cocktails that tasted better, were gluten-free and didn't lie to the consumer. Yeah. I think a lot of people will drink a hard seltzer and assume they're drinking something like a vodka soda. And that's what I was under the impression of. And it wasn't until a very dark day in a Utah airport where I had like a really bad reaction and I was so confused. And that actually caused me to look into what was in these hard seltzers and it was malt. And I'm like, what the hell is malt? And I haven't been able to drink them ever since, but I love a drink. I love a cocktail. I love an evening out. And it was like a huge loss for me. And I really felt like I wasn't able to find

something that was just tailored to exactly what I needed. So we, we created the drink we wish to see in the world. Can you tell us not to get too graphic, but what happened to you? Oh, I would love to tell you. Um, it wasn't, it was overcast. I had just landed in Salt Lake city and you know, we landed and like my stomach's not like a%, you know? And I'm thinking, you know, I'll just wait till we get off the plane. We just landed. So I'm in like a lot of pain and I get off the plane. We go to baggage claim. My whole family's waiting there.

I'm like, you guys, I'm just going to run to the little girl's room. I'll meet you outside by the car. And I'm like fighting for my fucking, oh, can I curse? I am fighting for my fucking life in this, like I was so dizzy, so nauseous. And then before, and I had just chugged Pepto-Bismol before I know it, I'm projectile vomiting all over this airport. It was so embarrassing. And I really, it took me a minute to pinpoint what had recently changed or what I ate that

was different. But the night before I had had a couple of hearts and I was like, oh my God, that's it. And that's why I started looking into it. I'm like, what's, I mean, I drink seltzer all the time. I drink vodka all the time. Why wouldn't this be okay? It's because there's actually not any vodka. Correct. Okay. I need a moment. Okay, I need a moment. You asked. I did. It's true.

And it was a very good recap. Very vivid. I felt like I was there in Utah with you. So maybe other people could have this allergy that they don't know about. Yes. This is a good point, though. They do. I think a lot of people have insensitivities to malt and they don't realize that malt is the main liquor ingredient in those like white claws, truly hard seltzers. It's not vodka. But you just want to check out. Exactly. Check yourself.

It's beer water. That's what malt is. It's beer water. So that's the reason why. And honestly, it's because of tax simplifications and in some states, grocery or convenience. You can be sold in more places as a beer. And from a compliance perspective, malt is classified as beer. So that's why they do it. But they lied for a little too long. Not anymore. Not anymore. So I'm assuming in addition to Claudia's story, what you found in your Google Doc Spritz, the OG Spritz Society, was that people wanted, it sounds like, more ingredient transparency. What else did you find in there from the testing, the original testing? So one, they wanted a transparent base, so we chose wine. They picked our first core four flavors, grapefruit, blood orange, pineapple, and lemon.

They wanted something that was premium. So one, ingredient transparency. So if you look on the backs of other wine products, wine doesn't have nutritional fact panels. So we intentionally put it on the back, six ingredients or less. People asked for real sugar over artificial sugar. They didn't mind as long as it was low sugar. They say grams of aspartame was not something the consumer wanted anymore. Toxic diet mind as long as it was low sugar. They say grams of

aspartame was not something toxic diet culture. So we're not here for it. Yeah, no, thanks. We're not. So, so we sit at 120 calories and six grams of sugar. That's where people said that they wanted the product at. They wanted it colorful so that if they wanted to pour it out over ice, it looked like a true cocktail. So it's something that you can really feel bougie when drinking or drink out of the can. And they wanted something that mixed well. So because I think a lot of influencers or personalities who want to start products, you know, think that they have this amazing idea in their mind or in a vacuum. But truly, like whatever that idea is might not be amazing, might not land in that same amazing way as it did in your mind. So kudos for that. And I think like the way that I think about it, because I what everything I do is social media.

Like I think part of the reason why TikTok is such a popular platform is because they lean in so hard to their users. Like if they see their users are doing a trend, they'll create a filter that makes that trend easier. Everyone's like, you know, I wish TikTok did this. Boom, it's done in a week. It's like, they're so generous in a sense that they just

want to make the user experience easier for the users where it's like, I feel like we've been begging Instagram for years to do like one small update to fix this one thing. And it never gets done. It's like so frustrating to be a consumer of Instagram because you feel like you're never heard. And that's just like a terrible feeling. And so the same applies to customer service. So you're like the TikTok of beverages? We're young and hot. Yeah. Yeah, you are. What kind of advice at this point would you give other couples who want to be business partners in addition to romantic partners? I'm just saying this, we don't do it, but we should. Just a few boundaries, you know, we are doing work stuff. You know, I wish it was that like, once we got in bed for the night, like it's over, but it's not. And it really kind of invades every

space, every conversation, and it's definitely not healthy. And it's definitely easier said than done to install those boundaries. But I do think they're really important. We haven't done it, but we should. It's interesting that that was where you went. I was going to say to know your roles, which I think is very important that because I don't feel as strongly that we overlap too much

personal time into because you're always the one bringing it up that's right you bring up everything else no I bring out the life Ben I'm interesting you're always like so what about this meeting yeah they're important um but really knowing roles I think is the key because we could be doing far worse where if we were both trying to do the same thing and stepping on each other's toes and questioning what each other does, this business wouldn't be where it is, which is a successful so far business that consumers are buying and buying again. The big box is interested in and investors are funding. So I think that. And I also think like trusting in your partner's abilities and like not hovering is really important. Like if there's a super important pitch, I won't even, like, I don't even want to be on it. I'm like, I have so much faith in Ben that it's exactly what he's good at. He's going to kill it. No one else needs to be

there. And when it comes to like doing meeting briefs or creating any content for social or anything marketing wise, like Ben doesn't even look at me like, because he trusts me in my space and I trust him implicitly in his space. And it makes for like no weirdness. So do you think it's made your 30 years together stronger? Are you stronger as a couple? I think it's just another piece of our journey. No, I think it's just another part of our, our journey together.

I mean, we've always, we have, we're different in the best ways and we're similar in the ways that we need to be where I just think that this is another example of that, where we're able to build things together from different sides. And that applies to everything and anything that we do here and going forward. It's definitely been challenging for sure, but I think anything worth doing is going to be challenging. And I think challenges make a marriage easier because marriage is never going to be easy. Hot take.

And marriage is a lot harder when you don't make something successful. Yeah. Right. Right. So I think that the finance. It's good now, but who knows? I was going to say it could be great or it could be terrible. It's like either, either you and your partner can celebrate the success or you look next to him and you're like, oh, my God, this business failed because of you. Hold on to your wallets, boys and girls. Money rehab will be right back. One of the most stressful periods of my life was when I was in credit card debt. I got to a point where I just knew that I had to get it under control for my financial future and also for my mental health. We've all hit a point where we've realized it was time to make

some serious money moves. So take control of your finances by using a Chime checking account with features like no maintenance fees, fee-free overdraft up to $200, or getting paid up to two days early with direct deposit. Learn more at Chime.com slash MNN. When you check out Chime, you'll see that you can overdraft up to $200 with no fees. If you're an OG listener, you know about my infamous $35 overdraft fee that I got from buying a $7 latte and how I am still very fired up about it. If I had Chime back then, that wouldn't even be a story. Make your fall finances a little greener by working toward your financial goals with Chime.

Open your account in just two minutes at Chime.com slash MNN. That's Chime.com slash MNN. Chime. Feels like progress. Now for some more money rehab. Would you guys do another product together? Would you do? Yeah. Yeah, we need to, what's so great. What's been so great about this is that we've been able to solely focus on this 150% of our time, but once we've really cracked the code on how to launch consumer products, there is absolutely no reason we wouldn't do it again. But I think, but I think the life cycle on this is to really understand how to build it. It's like

a three to five year period. And then once we've learned to apply those learnings elsewhere, would definitely be something that we should look into. I love it. Do you guys feel like you need money rehab? I think Ben probably does. I'm extremely fiscally responsible. I don't want to say cheap. I want to say like really frugal. Yes. Except when it comes to a few things, you know, purses and vacations, but like in life, I think I have a good barometer. And I think that on a personal level, Ben could do with a little, you know, money rehab. I definitely will say that you are better at not spending when you don't have to spend and spending when you should spend. And I'm really good at spending when I don't have to spend and

spending when I do spend. So or what about just spending when it's other people's money? I spend all I spend period. I'm overly generous. I'll always pick up a bill when I don't have to. I spend period. I'm overly generous. I'll always pick up a bill when I don't have to. I'll always. Now you're making me look like a terrible guest. Well, maybe you are.

Bitch, I'm always being generous, always picking up the tab. That's not what I'm talking about. Like personal finances. I'm not talking about like whining and dining investors. Okay. Interesting. Okay. Here's a perfect example. Ready?

Are you ready, Nicole? Yes. Every single day, ready, Nicole? Yes. Every single day, Ben with the Trenta iced coffee from Starbucks always. And it's so stupid. It's like $8 on, was it Hanukkah or something? Ben's mom got us a lovely gift, a coffee machine, Nespresso. She got us the little pods. Ask me if Ben ever used it once. Ask me if Claudia drank coffee, if she would use it. She doesn't even like coffee. And she had an entire trend around Starbucks. Ready?

Ready, Ben? Ready. I'm going to blow your mind. I have a coffee every single morning at the studio. It's Starbucks cold brew that I leave in the fridge and a little bit of coffee made creamer. What's the difference? That those two jugs cost me like $13 and they last for two weeks. Point made. I win. You're better at spending money on coffee.

That's where we've landed. I wasn't talking about coffee. It's a metaphor. Yeah. It's a metaphor. How many boxes show up every day from a different clothing company online? Have I ever ordered anything online? Such a good question. Do i pay for any of that some of it not all of it okay oh oh oh oh and and as long let's get into it this is going to turn into marriage rehab not money rehab ready you know half those boxes that show up in that shit for the house how do you you all go to wash your hands how do you know where the soap is? Oh, because I bought it. The sponges, the detergent, salt and pepper, duct tape. Things you need, printer paper. Who buys that?

Who buys that? Not you. I don't think that that is in the box. Always. It's something else. A screwdriver, a pair of scissors. I got us a new knife set on Prime Day. I take care of the home.

That's why I get more boxes than you. Interesting. Interesting. This is everything. We definitely need a get more boxes than you. Interesting. Interesting. This is everything. We definitely need a spinoff of Barrage Money Rehab. 100%. For today's tip, you can take straight to the bank. When you're testing your project, make sure that you're reaching your specific target demographic when you're testing. Claudia and Ben made Sprit Society for their audience. So when it became time

to test, they made sure that their audience, their target market, were the ones chiming in. Money Rehab is a production of iHeartRadio. I'm your host, Nicole Lappin. Our producers are Morgan Lavoie and Mike Coscarelli. Executive producers are Nikki Etor and Will Pearson. Our mascots are Penny and Mimsy. Huge thanks to OG Money Rehab team Michelle Lanz for her development work, Catherine Law for her production and writing magic, and Brandon Dickert for his editing, engineering, and sound design. And as always, thanks to you for finally investing in yourself

so that you can get it together and get it all.