# Meet The HIBT Fellows: Katie Mitchell & Celena Gill

- Show: [How I Built This](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this)
- Published: 2021-05-13
- Length: 23m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-05-13-meet-the-hibt-fellows-katie-mitchell-celena-gill

## Summary

Katie Mitchell and her mother Katherine co-founded Good Books, a mobile bookstore in Atlanta that centers Black authors and brings literature to communities through pop-ups and book clubs. In Washington, D.C., Celena Gill and her three sons, Collin, Ryan, and Austin, launched Frères Branchiaux, a home fragrance company that began with handmade candles and scaled to seven-figure revenue through retail partnerships and a dedicated warehouse. Both founders discuss their family-driven origins, the importance of brand storytelling, and their plans to use a $50,000 fellowship grant to fund physical expansion: Mitchell aims to build a flagship bookmobile, while Gill plans to purchase a warehouse and adjacent homeless training center.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-05-13-meet-the-hibt-fellows-katie-mitchell-celena-gill#t=0) Introduction: How I Built This Fellows Program
- [1:53](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-05-13-meet-the-hibt-fellows-katie-mitchell-celena-gill#t=113) Katie Mitchell and the Origin of Good Books
- [5:23](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-05-13-meet-the-hibt-fellows-katie-mitchell-celena-gill#t=323) Good Books: Mobile Strategy and Community Vision
- [7:54](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-05-13-meet-the-hibt-fellows-katie-mitchell-celena-gill#t=474) Brand Storytelling and Family History
- [10:30](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-05-13-meet-the-hibt-fellows-katie-mitchell-celena-gill#t=630) Sponsor Read: U.S. Bank Business Card
- [12:37](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-05-13-meet-the-hibt-fellows-katie-mitchell-celena-gill#t=757) Celena Gill and the Naming of Frères Branchiaux
- [14:18](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-05-13-meet-the-hibt-fellows-katie-mitchell-celena-gill#t=858) From Homeschool Project to Craft Fairs
- [18:02](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-05-13-meet-the-hibt-fellows-katie-mitchell-celena-gill#t=1082) Scaling Frères Branchiaux: Retail and Warehouse
- [21:08](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-05-13-meet-the-hibt-fellows-katie-mitchell-celena-gill#t=1268) Social Mission: Homelessness and Future Plans

## Topics

- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Marketing & brand](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/marketing-and-brand)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Crowdfunding & preorders](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/crowdfunding)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Good Books (product)
- Frères Branchiaux (product)
- U.S. Bank (company)
- NPR (company)
- Macy's (company)
- Target (company)
- Made in DC (other)
- Market 7 (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Founder Feature: Emmanuel Waters and Courtney Tucker of Old Hillside Bourbon](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2026-03-06-founder-feature-emmanuel-waters-and-courtney-tucker-of-old-hillside-bourbon) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [Founder Feature: Tabi and Meena Hoshmand of Tursh](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2025-11-14-founder-feature-tabi-and-meena-hoshmand-of-tursh) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [Founder Feature: Becca Wright of Piedmont Pennies](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2025-01-17-founder-feature-becca-wright-of-piedmont-pennies) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [The Founder Fundraising Journey: Karl Franz Williams, Founder of Uncle Waithleys](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2025-12-06-the-founder-fundraising-journey-karl-franz-williams-founder-of-uncle-waithleys) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [134: Kevin Kelly Remains Undefeated](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/thoroughly-considered/2026-06-24-134-kevin-kelly-remains-undefeated) (Thoroughly Considered)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2021-05-13-meet-the-hibt-fellows-katie-mitchell-celena-gill. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to How I Built This.