Podcast
∙
Aug 1, 2025
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53:39
Hard Calls, Clear Advice
with

with Aaron Schwartz

Tina Bou-Saba
When Tina Bou‑Saba talks consumer strategy, the smartest founders start taking notes.
In this episode of The Orita Podcast, we talk with Bou-Saba about how she helps founders navigate high-stakes decisions, from product pivots to capital strategy. We also dig into the biggest opportunities in consumer, the trends shaping where capital is flowing next, and the lessons she’s carried from Harvard to Wall Street to today’s boardrooms.
They tackle:
The one trait every breakout founder shares (spoiler: it’s not an MBA)
Brand versus product: why “cool” is useless without a value‑capture engine
A back‑of‑the‑napkin framework for knowing if your pricing (or fundraising) math actually works
If you’re building, funding, or obsessing over consumer brands, hit play and let the strategy session begin.
👀 Stick around to the end—Aaron gets some skincare advice.
👥 Meet the guest
Tina Henry Bou-Saba Consumer Investor | Founder at CXT Investments
Hosted by Aaron Schwartz, Co-founder & Co-CEO at Orita.ai
🎧 Chapters
[00:00] Intro & why Tina’s been stalking consumer behavior since the Abercrombie era
[04:43] Brand love vs. product lust—how to build both
[09:18] The one Harvard list every entrepreneur should tattoo on their laptop
[14:26] B2B vs. B2C founders: different planet, different playbook
[24:37] Credibility hacks: signals that make retailers (and investors) swipe right
[27:31] Public‑facing founders + ops pros = the modern power duo
[30:38] Saying “no” to the 500‑door rollout (and sleeping at night)
[35:57] Beauty’s knife fight: saturated, profitable, still worth it—if…
[39:48] Wellness, women’s health, longevity clinics: the next growth galaxy
[48:26] Tina’s north‑star advice: sell products or it’s just an art project
🌐 Check out Orita.ai for more episodes of The Orita Podcast—where we sit down with the most interesting operators, marketers, and founders in e-commerce to talk about what’s working right now. Hosted by the Orita team. Orita uses machine learning to help brands send smarter, more profitable marketing—by figuring out who actually wants to hear from you and when.
🚀 Get your free email audit from Orita – turn segments into superpowers: https://orita.ai
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