298. Kyle Cooke: Loverboy, SBA Debt & Fighting to Save a Multimillion-Dollar Brand
Trading Secrets
Audioboom Studios
4.9 • 5.7K Ratings
🗓️ 11 May 2026
⏱️ 59 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This week, Jason is joined by Kyle Cooke — entrepreneur, reality TV personality, DJ, and founder of Loverboy — for a conversation on what it really takes to build, scale, and fight to save a consumer alcohol brand in real time.
Kyle shares the full story behind Loverboy today — from once scaling to 30 employees, 200-plus distribution agreements, and national attention, to now operating with just three full-time employees while navigating cash constraints, distributor challenges, and millions of dollars in debt.
He breaks down the unique economics of the alcohol industry — including why brands are legally required to go through distributors, how wholesalers and retailers cut into margins, and why selling alcohol is far more complicated than most consumer products.
Kyle also opens up about the financial pressure behind the scenes, including personally guaranteeing a $4.2 million SBA loan, still owing roughly $2.9 million, and needing to generate over $100,000 a month just to cover the loan payment after taxes.
Beyond the numbers, Kyle shares the emotional reality of entrepreneurship — putting $500,000 of his own money back into the business, laying off employees, losing his COO, managing strained vendor relationships, and nearly facing the possibility of bankruptcy.
He also explains how the support from Summer House fans helped save Loverboy through direct-to-consumer sales, merch pre-orders, and renewed demand after he vulnerably shared the company’s financial struggles on the show.
Jason and Kyle also get into the impact of reality TV on business, why Loverboy’s fan base remains so loyal, how public attention can both help and hurt a brand, and why Kyle has intentionally avoided capitalizing on personal drama in a way that feels cheap or exploitative.
From SBA debt and distribution nightmares to multiple revenue streams, DJing, brand partnerships, and rebuilding Loverboy with a leaner team, Kyle gives a raw and honest look at what it means to keep showing up when the business, the money, and the public pressure are all hitting at once.
Kyle reveals all this and so much more in another episode you can’t afford to miss!
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Host: Jason Tartick
Co-Host: David Arduin
Audio: John Gurney
Video: Marc Colcer
Guest: Kyle Cooke
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome back to another episode of Trading Secrets. |
| 0:17.7 | Today we are joined by entrepreneur, reality, TV personality, and the founder |
| 0:23.2 | behind one of the most talked about beverage brands in the country, Kyle Cook. Kyle first rose |
| 0:30.3 | to prominence on Bravo's summer house, but behind the scenes, he was building lover boy, a better for |
| 0:36.2 | you alcohol brand that quickly scaled into a |
| 0:39.0 | multi-million dollar business with national distribution in a very, very loyal customer base, |
| 0:45.6 | which we'll talk about. But what we'll get into today is building a consumer brand. |
| 0:50.2 | It's not always what it looks like from the outside. There's so much that happens behind the |
| 0:55.4 | scenes. Hiring, firing, outside noise that impacts sales from rapid growth to real financial |
| 1:01.4 | pressure, tough investor conversations, and navigating public attention while trying to save |
| 1:07.3 | and rebuild the business with so many ebbs and flows. This is a raw look at entrepreneurship in real time with the one, the only. Kyle, Kyle, welcome to trading secrets. That's quite the intro. Let's go. Do you think it was a pretty good depiction of what's going on? It's called a roller coaster. That has been my life. So I think it's pretty spot on. We're talking a lot of business today. We're talking a lot of lover boy today before I get right into the financials and business. How's life? How you doing? Was 2026 what you expected it to be? Not so much. It's been a roller coaster. I think when you put yourself out there, sometimes you just don't know what to expect. And yeah, I mean, April has been one of those months where |
| 1:44.8 | you're ready to turn this page today. |
| 1:46.8 | Yeah, ready to turn this page. But, you know, I appreciate you asking. I mean, people have |
| 1:51.4 | been checking in and it's been a roller coaster. I mean, you were here in Miami in January |
| 1:56.2 | with Amanda? Yes, yes, I know. Days after we announced our split. |
| 2:23.4 | Yep. Yeah, so I don't think if you're to ask me if I saw any of this coming, I absolutely not such as life. You know, you just kind of got to learn from everything and move on. Life and business. Let's go into business and let's first talk to Summerhouse. Like, one of the biggest things, I'll tell you, I was just with about 20 or so reality stars, if you will, from all different backgrounds, right? |
| 2:27.8 | And in the different niches, they all know their business as well and they all know their shows well. But like I'd say I'm from The Bachelor, like, oh, I might know one person or something. |
| 2:32.9 | Right. Unanimously, every single one of these people, when Summerhouse came up, everyone knew Summerhouse, |
| 2:37.9 | everyone knew you, everyone knows what's going on. |
| 2:40.6 | It feels like Summer House has become one of the most relevant, biggest, most talked about |
| 2:45.6 | reality shows on any network in America. |
| 2:49.0 | Give me the why. |
... |
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