Hardware Podcasts

5-Hour Energy: Manoj Bhargava

How I Built This · 13 Mar 2017 · 33m

What this episode covers

Manoj Bhargava, founder of 5-Hour Energy, explains how he turned a tiny bottle of caffeine and vitamins into a billion-dollar business after leaving a plastics company and a period as a monk. He details the product development process, including recreating a recipe from a trade show, the initial failure of the taste, and the strategic decision to sell through GNC before expanding to drugstores. Bhargava also discusses how the brand maintained a 93% market share despite intense competition from giants like Coke, Pepsi, and Red Bull, attributing success to product quality and distribution strategy.

Most relevant to

early-stage companies

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
GNC, Prime PVC, Coke, Pepsi, Red Bull, Monster, Rite Aid, Walgreens, Walmart
Products
5-Hour Energy, WD 40

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