Lokai Founder and CEO Steven Izen Says, “Don’t Cut Corners.”

Steven Izen uses relay race baton handoff to illustrate an entrepreneur’s journey from “running through walls and never taking no for an answer” to maturing into a long-term thinking planner whose success depends not only on lots of hard work, but also aligning team members around a shared mission and passion for “making the world a better place.”

Steven is in an unique position to speak both to founders and corporate leaders because he currently serves as both. He launched Lokai in 2013 as a senior at Cornell. Today he serves as CEO, and Lokai’s brand of beaded bracelets have become a phenomenon sold in 5,000 locations in 170 countries. The bracelets each contain a droplet of mud from the Dead Sea and water from Mount Everest to represent the highs and lows of earth and of life.

In 2019, Steven founded his second company Elements, which produces functional wellness drinks formulated to consistently balance the body’s stress levels. The products have found a place in Wegmans stores, and are being tested at other large chains.

Listeners are sure to enjoy his descriptions of getting his businesses off the ground as well as the differences and similarities of being a founder versus a CEO, including why the numbers count… but aren’t everything, and baking social responsibility into your bottom line. Steven offers a distinctive blend of unwavering confidence and hard-won humility that is sure to inspire and awaken your own creative juices. And one thing’s for sure: you’ll never look at a baton handoff in a track relay the same way again.

You will learn:

•  5:30   How the highs and lows of sport relate to Steven’s business.
•  7:00   The lessons from football woven into Steven’s journey.
•  8:00   The athletic accomplishment Steven is most proud of.
• 14:00  His dad’s impact on his leadership.
• 18:00  The idea Steven had while studying at Cornell that changed his life.
• 19:30  Debunking Steven’s “overnight success.”
• 23:00  The advice Steven gave his fellow Cornell alums about life.
• 29:00  Lokai’s partnership with Kyle Carpenter.

Resources:

• Find your balance. Elements are functional welness drinks made with adaptogens.
• Get your own Lokai bracelet!
• Related Corporate Competitor Podcast episode: Longtime Topgolf CEO Dolf Berle