The Category Thinkers Podcast

Category Thinkers is a podcast dedicated to exploring and demystifying the world of category design.

Our mission is to help you identify, understand, and apply category design principles to your own ventures, no matter the industry or stage of your business journey.

We believe that embracing category design strategies can unlock the potential of any business or individual, and we aim to debunk the notion that its application is limited to specific situations.

Subscribe Now

Apple Podcasts

Amazon Musci

Meet the Hosts

Flag & Frontier

Co-founder / CEO

Mike Damphousse

Co-founder / Partner

Category Design Advisors

Recent Episodes

Category Conversation

Episode 39

Voyage in Carving Out a Learning and Skill Development Category w/ Hywel Carver

Hywel Carver, CEO of Skiller Whale, shares his company's category design journey and the challenges they faced in defining their offering and how the workshop by Category Design Advisors, along with the book "Play Bigger," helped them create a new category, "Live Team Coaching."

Category Conversation

Episode 38

Designing a Category In an Old School Industry w/ Frederik Hendriksen

Frederik Hendriksen, founder of Rensair, introduces a revolutionary smart ventilation system tailored for commercial real estate, enhancing energy efficiency and indoor air quality.

Category Conversation

Episode 37

How to Right-Size the Problem You’re Solving w/ Lauren Pufpaf

February 27, 2024

In this episode, Lauren Pufpaf, President, COO, and co-founder of Feed Media Group, talks about how she and her team used Category Design to shift gears while upscaling their company.

Category Conversation

Episode 36

Keeping Your Point Of View Unique In A Wave Of Competition w/ Brian Schiff

February 19, 2024

In this episode, we have a conversation with Brian Schiff on Category Design and A.I. A.I. has created a massive shift in context, and with that comes massive opportunities for category designers, but it also means a flood of competitors into the same space.

Category Panel

Episode 35

Al Ramadan of Play Bigger – Category Design Beyond Tech Startups – Changing the World

February 13, 2024

Al Ramadan is the CEO of Play Bigger, LLC and one of the co-authors of “Play Bigger”. In this replay of our live AMA event, Discover how shifts in context—ranging from environmental changes to global events like pandemics, wars, or financial crises—can spark innovative solutions.

Category Conversation

Episode 34

How Category Design Reveals Buyer Problems w/ Rebecca Kirstein Resch

February 6, 2024

In this episode, we interview Rebecca Kirstein Resch, the founder and CEO at inqli. Her company is dedicated to helping workplace teams tap into the power of ‘tacit knowledge.’ Listen in to hear the insights sh has unlocked through her founder’s journey and how she’s t

Category Conversation

Episode 33

Why Vertical SaaS is Fertile Ground for Category Design w/ Nick Tippmann

January 30, 2024

In this episode, Nick Tippmann, former CMO of Greenlight Guru, joins us to break down his journey as a marketer turned investor. Nick shares why vertical SaaS companies should think like category designers and how he evaluates the category potential of early-stage startups.

Category Conversation

Episode 32

How a Gartner Analyst Looks at Categories

January 23, 2024

In this episode, Dan Gottlieb, a Senior Director Analyst at Gartner, joins us. He shares insights on defining categories, how startups can stand out with their unique capabilities, and the right time for them to educate analysts about their solutions.

Category Panel

Episode 31

Sangram Vajre’s Events and Community Playbook

January 16, 2024

In our AMA with Sangram Vajre, a top B2B SaaS category designer, learn how he used events and community at Terminus, Peak, and GTM Partners to drive category strategy, and how it's still feasible to build your own category and community.

Category Conversation

Episode 30

Do You Need Category Design (Or Is It A Choice)? w/ Brad Luttrell

January 9, 2024

In this episode, Brad Luttrell joins us to talk through how he discovered category design a year and a half ago, why it was the strategy Holler Commerce needed to adopt, and what he has done to design social commerce as a service category ever since.

Category Conversation

Episode 29

How Category Memetics Can Help A New Category Stick w/ Ken Rutsky

January 2, 2024

In this episode, Ken Rutsky discusses 'category memetics,' explaining how new categories can replicate like memes, spreading rapidly. He shares strategies for creating successful category memes and delves into the research behind his insights.

Category Panel

Episode 28

3 Tools for Category Concepts w/ Josh Lowman

December 26, 2023

Strategy and brand design expert Josh Lowman walks us through the three tools he uses to quickly pitch and vet new category ideas, and engages with our community in our monthly AMA.

Category Conversation

Episode 27

Getting Analysts To Buy Into Your Category Design w/ Scott Albro

December 19, 2023

Scott Albro, co-founder and CEO of Goldie shares his insights on why analyst buy-in is crucial for category success, strategies for effectively communicating your category vision, and real-world examples from his time at TOPO.

Category Conversation

Episode 26

How to Condition The Market w/ David West, CEO of Proscia

December 12, 2023

Innovative firms must show how their solutions differ from the norm and why that matters. Crafting the right narrative is tough, but a good POV helps. We're joined by David West, CEO of Proscia, who shares how a workshop helped him convey why their pathology breakthrough is vital

Category Conversation

Episode 25

"When Should You Design a Category?" w/ Jonathan Gandolf

December 5, 2023

Explore category design's diverse applications with Jonathan Gandolf, CEO of The Juice. From software to breweries, he's mastered this discipline. Now, he's contemplating its role in his new venture. Tune in to discover his decision-making process in this insightful episode.

Category Conversation

Episode 24

How Community & Category Design Go Hand in Hand w/ Jared Robin, Founder of RevGenius

November 28, 2023

In this episode, Jared of RevGenius discusses intertwining category design with community building. Starting with a small LinkedIn group in 2020, he grew it to 40k members. Highlights: his journey, making unique communities, the need for a shared POV, and category design's role.

Category Conversation

Episode 23

Minimal Viable Category Design w/ Pietro Bezza

November 21, 2023

In this episode, Pietro Bezza, co-founder of Connect Ventures, introduces the concept of 'minimal viable category design,' aimed at guiding early-stage startups in addressing and promoting their unique solutions.

Category Panel

Episode 22

After 7 Years, Why Did Category Design Advisors Rewrite Their Own Point of View?

November 14, 2023

After co-authoring "Play Bigger" in 2016, Kevin Maney and Mike Damphousse founded Category Design Advisors. Now, with John Rougeux and 40+ clients later, they've reworked their category POV. In this live AMA, they discussed applying their own strategies and the lessons learned.

Category Conversation

Episode 21

Designing A Category As A Bootstrapped Service Agency w/ James Carbary

November 7, 2023

In this episode, James Carbary of Sweet Fish Media explains his shift from blogging to dominance in B2B podcasting via category design, and discusses pioneering a new owned media category.

Category Conversation

Episode 20

Taking Advantage of a Context Shift Through Category Design w/ Doug Camplejohn

October 31, 2023

Doug Camplejohn was working at Salesforce when the world changed in 2020, and quickly realized that there may be an opportunity happening. That’s when he decided to start Airspeed, a family of apps that help employees feel connected and celebrated.

Category Conversation

Episode 19

Founder Clarity Through Category Design for Fundraising, Product, and Culture w/ Lauren Dunford, CEO of Guidewheel

October 24, 2023

In this episode, Lauren highlights category design for startups, using Guidewheel’s FactoryOps to attract stakeholders. We discuss sustainability, AI's role in data firms, and valuation impact.

Category Panel

Episode 18

Nearbound and the Early Stages of Category Design w/ Jared Fuller and Isaac Morehouse

October 17, 2023

Jared Fuller and Isaac Morehouse pioneered our talk on nearbound, a game-changing GTM strategy. Advocates of category design, they've shaped one of the fastest-growing B2B media brands ever.

Category Conversation

Episode 17

Getting Sales' Buy In For Category Design w/ Dan Tyre

October 10, 2023

This week’s show is with Dan Tyre, a legendary executive at Hubspot. Hired as employee number six, Dan talks about the backstory of the inbound category, how to get sales to support your category design strategy, and the importance of company culture when designing a category.

Category Panel

Episode 16

Category Design for Early-Stage Startups: AMA w/ Rachel Josepho and Waleed Cope

October 3, 2023

Fresh off a category design workshop in NYC, Rachel Josepho, Founder & CEO of Mindfull, and Waleed Cope, CEO of The Soap Box, joined us to share their journey as category designers leading early-stage startups.

Category Short

Episode 15

Is Your Startup Caught In Category Jail?

September 26, 2023

In this episode, John Rougeux explains why a concept called “category jail” needs to be on the radar of every startup. Category jail occurs when your novel solution is mentally miscategorized by buyers, causing your company to get unfairly written off as another “me-too” product.

Category Conversation

Episode 14

How to Validate Your Startup Idea Using Category Design w/ Rio Hodges

September 19, 2023

In this episode, we chat with Rio Hodges, Principal at Antler. Rio encounters hundreds of startups each year through his firm's accelerator programs, so his perspective is invaluable if you’re in the early chapters of this journey.

Category Conversation

Episode 13

Done Properly, Category Design Creates Demand w/ Craig Rosenberg

September 12, 2023

Scale Venture Partners’ Craig Rosenberg, Chief Platform Officer at Scale and long-time friend and collaborator of co-host, Damp, chats about category design driving demand, mentoring founders, and stories from the startup and VC trenches.

Category Conversation

Episode 12

AI Is Creating 3 Layers Of Category Design Opportunities w/ Manny Bernabe

September 5, 2023

AI will be create of the largest changes in context in recent history. It's the Gutenberg press reborn. On this episode, we're bringing an expert from the trenches to chat about what this means for category designers.

Category Panel

Episode 11

"Superconsumers" Book Club & AMA w/ Eddie Yoon

August 29, 2023

Kicked off the first ever Category Thinkers Book Club with Eddie Yoon's classic, Superconsumers. Discuss insights that led to the book, how to apply Superconsumer strategy in B2B service companies, and why understanding Superconsumers is key to a profitable community strategy.

Category Conversation

Episode 10

What's Next For The Inbound Category w/ Kipp Bodnar, CMO of HubSpot

August 22, 2023

On this episode of "Category Thinkers," Kipp Bodnar, HubSpot's CMO, dives into the nuances of category design in modern marketing. He highlights HubSpot's journey with inbound marketing and the transformative role of AI in shaping future categories.

Category Conversation

Episode 9

Reinventing a 25-Year-Old Company Through Category Design w/ Carl Daikeler, CEO of Beachbody

August 15, 2023

Founders often use category design to dominate markets. However, many encounter it post-founding. CEO Carl Daikeler of BODi, known for P90x & Insanity, faced challenges in digital transition. Using category design, he's now pioneering a new fitness category: health esteem.

Category Panel

Episode 8

The Life Of A Founder In The Middle of Category Design w/ Hannah Grady Williams

Diving deep into Category Design? Books and podcasts help, but firsthand insights are unmatched. Join us as startup founder Hannah Grady Williams of d'Skills gives us a real-time peek into the world of active category creation.

Category Conversation

Episode 7

How Category Design and Product-Led Growth Shaped Slack's GTM Strategy w/ Bill Macaitis

is the former CMO and CRO of Slack. In this conversation, we dive deep into what made Slack the category king of team collaboration tools.

Categories in the Wild

Episode 6

What the WWE and Sports Entertainment Can Teach Us About Category Design w/ Raj "Rajnation" Nathan

In this episode of #CategoriesInTheWild, we'll examine WWE's development of the "sports entertainment" category. It's a perfect case study that every category designer should learn from.

Category Jam

Episode 5

"Do We Have A Category?" w/ Josh Roenitz and Kim Bach from DailyHuman

When founders first start considering a category strategy, they spend a lot of time bouncing ideas back and forth to develop a point of view. That can feel great or it can feel like a battle, but it's impossible to know if it's productive until they share it with someone else.

Category Conversation

Episode 4

How to Influence Buyers to Care About a New Category w/Mark Kilens (CMO of Airmeet)

Mark Kilens has built a career as a marketing leader and category designer with HubSpot and Drift. Now, he's the CMO at Airmeet, the company behind Event-Led Growth.

Categories in the Wild

Episode 3

What Apple Got Wrong With the Launch of the Vision Pro w/ Jordy Van de Locht

When Apple launched the Vision Pro, it wasn't just a product launch, it was the launch of a new category called "spatial computing." But did Apple get everything right? Join us as we deconstruct Apple's newest category launch and discuss what we might have done differently.

Category Conversation

Episode 2

The Current State Of Category Design And Who It's For w/Christopher Lochhead

One of the biggest reasons we knew the world needed the Category Thinkers Community (apart from our own desire to talk category strategy all day) is that there are many misconceptions about the discipline of category design, and who it's for.

Category Panel

Episode 1

A Call To Action For Category Designers w/Play Bigger Co-authors Christopher Lochhead, Al Ramadan, and Kevin Maney

The discipline of category design was formally launched seven years ago with the book, Play Bigger. On category design’s seventh birthday, we decided to reunite three co-authors of Play Bigger (Christopher Lochhead, Al Ramadan, Kevin Maney).

Category Conversation

Episode 0

The Category Thinkers Community Point of View (Trailer)

Listen to the trailer for Category Thinkers. This isn't just a podcast. It's the launch of a community. A different community dedicated to the understanding and application of category design. Naturally, we're kicking it off with our POV.

Join Category Thinkers Now

Join now to...

Get access to our Slack community

Connect with other category designers

Receive invites to our live events

Find out when we drop new content

Thank you! Your submission has been received!

Oops! Something went wrong. Try again?