In Episode 26 of BrandBusters, James and Sean sit down with Mike Rosinus and Julia Botsford, the father-daughter duo behind GoHydrate, the clean hydration brand redefining what’s in your water. With Mike’s background in private equity and Julia’s 15+ years in big CPG at Kraft Heinz and Mars Food, they’ve turned a family hobby into a fast-growing DTC brand that’s competing in one of the most crowded categories in CPG.
In this episode, we dive into:
-The decade-long journey of GoHydrate—from Wall Street to wellness—and how a pivot away from creatine led to a rebrand and product overhaul
-Why GoHydrate ditched traditional retail for a DTC-first model, and how they built a tight tech stack to support subscriptions, CRM, and rapid innovation
-Julia’s lessons from big CPG and what she had to unlearn to thrive in the startup world
-Building a high-performing influencer strategy: how they scaled up, what failed, and the ROI-driven toolkit that sets top creators apart
-The GoHydrate formula advantage—great taste, zero junk, and five essential electrolytes with vitamin D—and why low sodium is a brand differentiator
-Fail fast, but not reckless: how Mike and Julia evaluate channels like Meta, Amazon, and TikTok (spoiler: not all hyped platforms pay off)
-The dynamics of working as a family team, including how trust, ownership, and hard-earned lessons shape their decision-making every day
Mike and Julia bring sharp insight, vulnerability, and no-BS advice on what it takes to scale a bootstrapped wellness brand in today’s noisy market. If you’re navigating the DTC game, influencer marketing, or thinking about a CPG pivot, this episode’s packed with valuable takeaways.
Follow GoHydrate on social and check out their clean hydration line at gohydrate.com. Don’t forget to subscribe to BrandBusters on YouTube, LinkedIn, X, or wherever you get your podcasts!