Operators Titans E010: AG1’s CEO Kat Cole on Why Product Beats Marketing Every Time

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Matt Bertulli, CEO of Pela Case and Lomi, and Mike Beckham, CEO of Simple Modern, sit down with Kat Cole, CEO of AG1, to trace one of the most unconventional executive careers in consumer. From hostess at Hooters at 17 to vice president by 26, to leading a multi-billion dollar restaurant empire through the pandemic, Kat's path defies every traditional playbook.

The conversation covers how crisis sharpens leadership into an arrow, why Kat’s “Hotshot Rule” has been a weekly practice for nearly two decades, and how AG1 quietly spent two years shoring up operations and clinical science before unleashing a wave of launches — new products, new flavors, a Costco debut, and Hugh Jackman — in a single six-month run. They also dig into the Athletic Greens to AG1 rebrand, what it really means to stay close to your customer when you're fully remote, and why Kat believes product quality is the most underrated growth strategy in the game.

Chapters

00:00:00 What Took You So Long to Leave

00:02:48 Hooters to Half a Billion Bucks

00:07:42 Managing a Crisis on Two Fronts

00:11:32 Glad It Was Me & Nobody Else

00:16:17 Does Crisis Make Better Leaders

00:18:14 Same Lessons Different Context

00:21:00 From Hostess to VP in a Decade

00:27:12 Her 2 Questions Before Quitting

00:29:28 Life in a Post-Economic Mindset

00:32:07 The Hotshot Rule Explained Weekly

00:36:08 Staying Close to Remote Customers

00:40:21 Building Community Around Product

00:41:15 Why AG1 Waited Before Expanding

00:48:55 Getting Board Buy-In on Big Bets

00:51:44 Athletic Greens to AG1 Rebrand

00:57:24 How Kat Thinks About Media Mix

01:01:29 From CAC/LTV to Something Bigger

01:05:54 Do You Ever Fear It Will Fail

01:10:45 How a CEO Divides Their Attention

01:13:41 Does the CEO Know What I Do

01:16:09 The 4 Traits of Effective Leaders

01:21:23 Titan 10 Rapid-Fire Questions