What happens when you stop going to conferences for the content, and start going for the conversations in the lobby? That question became the foundation for one of the most exclusive entrepreneur networks in the world. Hollis Carter, Founder of Baby in the Bathwater, built a sold-out, decade-old community of seven- and eight-figure founders by scratching his own itch.

What You'll Learn:

1: Why curating the room matters more than curating the content — and how Hollis's "current is strong" philosophy keeps the culture intact at scale

2: How to identify the three levels of community participation and why the third level is where the real business breakthroughs happen

3: The hard lesson Hollis learned about "bettering vs. biggering" and how it applies to your business decisions right now

4: Why early entrepreneurial success without the process often leads to self-sabotage — and how to build the experience base that makes success stick

5: How to develop personal core values before your business demands them from you (most founders learn this far too late)

6: The leadership move that transformed Hollis's team meetings: speaking last, and why it creates better outcomes every time

About the Guest: Hollis Carter is the founder and CEO of Baby in the Bathwater, a private membership community and event series for founders in the grow-and-scale phase of their business. He began his entrepreneurial journey at 12, growing a lawn business before he had a driver's license, and has since bootstrapped multiple companies to seven figures across industries including publishing, software, and real estate. Baby in the Bathwater has been running for over a decade with a waitlisted, referral-only membership.

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 — Introduction & Welcome to The Branding Laboratory

02:30 — Devo on finding Baby in the Bathwater and why it blew him away

04:00 — Hollis's origin story: from dyslexic kid with a lawnmower to serial entrepreneur

08:00 — The accidental birth of Baby in the Bathwater

10:30 — The lobby theory: why conversations beat content at every conference

13:00 — How Hollis decided to manufacture serendipity

15:30 — Defining the community: who Baby in the Bathwater actually serves

19:00 — New app launch, membership model, and the decade-long journey

21:00 — Attention span vs. passion: why Hollis is in year 10 and still fired up

23:00 — The three levels of community participation and competitive giving

28:00 — What collaborative leadership actually looks like in practice

31:00 — How Hollis defines leadership (and why it's not a canned answer)

36:00 — Hollis's single superpower: curating and connecting

39:00 — Nature vs. nurture: how Baby in the Bathwater built its culture

43:30 — Working on yourself before working on your business (Jim Rohn principles)

47:00 — Personal values as a leadership foundation

53:00 — Core values Hollis lives by: bettering, saying nice things, and doing what you say

58:00 — Final gift: why experience is the only thing that matters

Connect with Hollis Carter: https://babybathwater.com/

About The Branding Laboratory:

A podcast hosted by Deevo that brings together entrepreneurs, leaders, and brand builders to explore what it takes to break free from uninspiring systems, build a genuine personal brand, and lead with purpose. Visit thebrandstoryteller.com to learn more. Subscribe so you never miss a conversation. New episodes drop regularly.