Episode 214: Radical Entrance, Glorious Exit: Jason Lucash Retires from the Industry
Today, we’re saying goodbye to a legend. And though I’m sure Jason Lucash hates that moniker, it’s quite fitting. Jason Lucash is retiring from promo and stepping down from his role at HPG as Chief Development Officer.
Jason and his amazing business partner Michael Szymczak founded OrigAudio in 2009 and shortly thereafter burst onto the scene in our industry and within 10 years would sell over $100 million in product, eventually selling the company to top 10 industry supplier HPG.
Normally, that’s the end of an entrepreneur’s story. But Jason’s not your ordinary entrepreneur. The evolution of his career would involve multiple roles: Startup, entrepreneur, founder, CEO, Senior VP of Marketing, Chief Development Officer, board member, investor, category creator, developer of over 150+ products, and more
His accolades are too many to name but a few worth noting: He was recognized as Entrepreneur Magazine's "Entrepreneur of the Year", listed five times on the Inc. 500 Fastest Growing Companies list, featured in Time Magazine's "50 Best Inventions", and his industry awards are numerous, he was recognized as the fastest growing supplier in the industry multiple times, including ASI's "Entrepreneur of the Year" .
On Friday, when we got the notice about Jason’s departure, all three of us immediately agreed to have one last conversation before Jason rides off into the sunset. There are so many lessons to learn unpacking Jason’s journey so we explore multiple areas, we chat about:
OrigAudio’s rise and what led to their amazing breakthrough and record-breaking sales, How a nimble, quirky, and creative brand sells to a large supplier w/o selling out
The transformation and challenges as Jason the entrepreneur became Jason the chief development officer
how a large supplier like HPG gave Jason a creative incubator — a surprising success story about how a larger company like HPG, can acquire and integrate a brand while keeping an innovative edge
How Batch and Bodega became a category creator but also broke through the virtual ceiling building a cross utilization of teams across a global enterprise
And of course, the difficulty in saying goodbye and more.
Now, join us as we reflect on an incredible journey, unpack an amazing career but mostly, learn vicariously through one of the industry’s most innovative minds.