Episode 27: How Retail Sales Veteran Aaron Zutler Built PopInsanity | A Million Dollar Popcorn Brand

Description

In this episode of the What It Takes Podcast, host Tuli Kraus sits down with Aaron Zutler, sales veteran, entrepreneur, and co-founder of Pop Insanity, to talk about learning to sell from the ground up, cracking the big box retail code, and how a popcorn machine that couldn’t be returned ended up becoming a nationwide brand. Aaron Zutler spent years in the trenches selling small electronics, keyboards, webcams, and peripherals, into some of the toughest buyers in retail: Best Buy, Walmart, and Target-level accounts who eat vendors for breakfast. He learned how to negotiate, how to read a room, and how to get a “yes” from people whose entire job is to say “no.” Then, almost by accident, he got introduced to a keyboard player making insane popcorn in his kitchen. That introduction, and one non-refundable popcorn machine, led to Pop Insanity, a gourmet kosher popcorn brand that landed on Oprah’s Favorite Things list, got featured on Good Morning America, and eventually earned a starring role on Marcus Lemonis’ show The Fixer. In this conversation, Aaron breaks down what it actually took, sleeping on a blow-up mattress in Muncie, borrowing money while making two weddings, building a brand with no marketing budget, and staying calm when the website crashed in the middle of Q4 holiday season. He also gets real about partnerships, hiring, what separates employees who rise from those who stay stuck, and why customer service matters just as much as the product. If you’re an employee trying to level up, a founder figuring out how to build something from scratch, or someone quietly wondering if your skills could one day work for you, this episode is exactly what you need. 💡 In This Episode, We Cover: ◼️ How Aaron stumbled into sales and why he says it’s the most valuable skill you can have ◼️ The insider breakdown of selling into big box retail (open to buy, end caps, markdown money and more) ◼️ The non-refundable popcorn machine that accidentally started a business ◼️ What the early days of Pop Insanity actually looked like, blow-up mattresses and all ◼️ How Oprah’s team found them at a gift show in Atlanta and what happened next ◼️ Getting on Good Morning America and landing Marcus Lemonis’ The Fixer ◼️ How COVID shifted their entire business model in their favor ◼️ The three things Aaron says you absolutely need in a business partner ◼️ What separates employees who grow fast from those who stay stuck ◼️ Why honesty, initiative, and mavatar (flexibility) matter more than any resume ⏱️ Chapters: 0:00 From Office Work to Closeouts: How Aaron Accidentally Got Into Sales 7:45 The Art of Selling: Aggression, Etiquette & What Actually Works 21:26 The Popcorn Machine That Started It All: The Origin Story of Pop Insanity 29:10 Sleeping in Muncie: Building Pop Insanity From Zero 39:41 Oprah’s Favorite Things: Getting Discovered at a Gift Show in Atlanta 47:24 The Fixer & The Website Crash Heard Round the Warehouse 52:17 COVID, Hiring & What It Actually Takes to Grow Inside a Company 🔗 Connect with Aaron Zutler LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-zutler 🔗 Connect with the Host - Tuli Kraus Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackbird.recruiting/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tuli-kraus/ United Refuah United Refuah offers an affordable alternative to traditional health insurance through a health share program, with a monthly cost of just $500. For the first 10 listeners, use code Blackbird to get the third month free. https://unitedrefuahhs.org/ Blackbird Recruiting Hiring the wrong person is expensive — not just financially, but culturally. Blackbird Recruiting helps growing companies hire people who actually perform, so you can spend less time filtering résumés and more time building your business. If you’re serious about scaling with the right team, visit blackbirdrecruiting.com to learn more.