Between 2 Brands Podcast

It’s November and time for Ep. 95 of the Between 2 Brands #podcast with your host, Bill Petrie! Today’s Opening Shot is a bit of a Billatorial as he gets a bit salty explaining how chasing trends is hurting your brand and your business. After that, he is joined by Bill Feldberg from Something Inked. In this “Battle of the Bills,” they talk about overcoming the challenge of distributor differentiation, the importance of building the “right” relationships, how working in the gaming industry helped him in branded merchandise, and even a bit of Van Halen chat. This is truly a great episode and one you don’t want to miss!

BIG thanks to our pals over at Seven Sourcing for sponsoring this fine broadcast. When you’re ready to be the partner your clients want – one that delivers unique, custom, and bespoke branded merch designed exclusively for them – reach out to Russ and his team at [email protected].

You know it’s time for Ep. 94 of the Between 2 Brands #podcast with Bill Petrie! In this week’s Opening Shot, Bill shares some industry quick hits as we are in the middle of the annual “silly season.” After that, he is joined by the one and only Jason Lucash from Rupt! During their conversation they talk about transitioning from the daily grind to retirement, what he learned about himself during that time, the importance of challenging the establishment, and the need to take time for family regardless of how busy you are. It’s a wonderful eye-opening conversation with one of the true originals in the branded merchandise, or any other industry.

HUGE thanks to our friends over at PPAI for sponsoring this fine broadcast. If you haven’t registered for the PPAI Expo, head over to ppai.org/expo to do exactly that and learn about all the amazing new experiences happening in Las Vegas in January!

It’s Friday and time for Ep. 93 of the Between 2 Brands #podcast with your host, Bill Petrie. In the Opening Shot, it’s time for another “Billatorial” as he shares some very candid thoughts on the (over)use of AI marketing materials and why they’re ineffective. After that, he welcomes the Founder of Colemax, Rich Flashenberg. In a wide-ranging discussion, they talk about how the industry has changed in 30 years, the advice he would give his younger self, and a few tips for anyone looking to start their own business.

HUGE Thanks to our friends over at BEL Promo for sponsoring this fine broadcast. When you’re looking for the lowest minimums, deepest inventory, 5-star and A+ service – you know you can BEL Promo that!

It’s absolutely time for Ep. 92 of the Between 2 Brands #podcast with your host, Bill Petrie! Today in the “Opening Shot,” Bill shares his thoughts on why Promocations events are successful as he jets off to Punta Cana for the second land-based Promocation. After that, he’s joined by a partner at Certified Marketing Consultants, the one and only Jamie Watson. During a wide-ranging conversation they discuss how business owners should look at mergers and acquisitions, avoiding common financial pitfalls, and maybe even a bit of golf and Foo Fighters. It’s a great conversation between two service providers who shed some light on something we don’t talk about enough: finances.

This episode of Between Two Brands has been brought to you by the good people at CoasterStone – home of the original absorbent stone coaster. With that combination of stone-cold quality, striking decoration, low cost-per-impression, retail packaging, and unmatched value, David Glenn and his team at CoasterStone are ready to help you make a ROCK-SOLID impression with your clients. Email them at [email protected] today!

You bet it’s time for Ep. 91 of the Between 2 Brands #podcast with Bill Petrie! In today’s “Opening Shot,” Bill talks about the PPAI Global Impact Report and what it tells us about our industry. After that, he’s joined by an old friend of the podcasting world, the original good-time player-man himself, Kirby Hasseman. For this episode, they really just had a conversation about life, content, consistency, and different takes on setting boundaries. No big agenda here, just grab some coffee, put on your listening ears, and enjoy the chat.

HUGE thanks to our pals over at SHEPENCO for sponsoring this fine broadcast. For 90 years – and four generations of family ownership – they have defined stability by caring about the success of their distributor partners. Head over to shepenco.com to start your next project today!

You know it’s time for Ep. 90 of the Between 2 Brands #podcast with Bill Petrie! In this week’s Opening Shot, Bill talks about how annoying tactics have taken the humanity out of the sales process and steps we can all take to change that. After that, he is joined by the lovely and talented Tom Clouser from Prime Line. During their conversation they talk things he’s learned from working as both a supplier and distributor, what distributors should NOT ask at a trade show, ways to create a successful networking event, and even a bourbon-themed “Rapid Fire!” Tom is truly one of the nicest guys in the industry, and you don’t want to miss this conversation!

BIG thanks to our pals over at Seven Sourcing for sponsoring this fine broadcast. When you’re ready to be the partner your clients want – one that delivers unique, custom, and bespoke branded merch designed exclusively for them – reach out to Russ and his team at [email protected].

It’s Friday and time for Ep. 89 of the Between 2 Brands #podcast with your host, Bill Petrie. In the Opening Shot, Bill shares some thoughts on the very interesting findings from the ASI State of the Industry report. After that, he welcomes the President and CEO of Image Source, Tom Goos. In a wide-ranging discussion, they talk about growing a business, the importance of intentionally creating a company culture that celebrates the work/life balance, “merch” vs. “SWAG,” the importance of shoe management, and how someone from the birthplace of grunge absolutely loves country music. This is one you won’t want to miss.

HUGE Thanks to our friends over at BEL Promo for sponsoring this fine broadcast. When you’re looking for the lowest minimums, deepest inventory, 5-star and A+ service – you know you can BEL Promo that!

You bet it’s time for Ep. 88 of the Between 2 Brands podcast with your host and pal, Bill Petrie. This week in the “Opening Shot,” Bill offers up his thoughts on the lawsuit filed by 29 states alleging that Facebook and Instagram intentionally designed addictive features that negatively impact kids and teens mental health. After that bit of fun is over, he welcomes the Vice President of Fields Manufacturing and raconteur, Matt Wagner, to the podcast. They talk about his recent 40 day “van life experiment,” his passion for music, why buying groups matter, and why he’s pumped for the Promocation in Punta Cana next month.

This episode of Between Two Brands has been brought to you by the good people at CoasterStone – home of the original absorbent stone coaster. With that combination of stone-cold quality, striking decoration, low cost-per-impression, retail packaging, and unmatched value, David Glenn and his team at CoasterStone are ready to help you make a ROCK-SOLID impression with your clients. Email them at [email protected] today!

Damn straight it’s time for Ep. 87 of the Between 2 Brands #podcast with Bill Petrie! In today’s version of the “Opening Shot,” Bill talks about OpenAI rolling out ChatGPT for teens and why it’s important to place those guardrails on AI. After that, he’s joined by the one and only Rusty Pepper from Taylor Corporation. As you might guess, they spend a lot of time talking about Print on Demand (POD) – what it is, why it’s important for distributors to leverage it, and even some resources to take advantage of it. But that’s not all they chat about because they also discuss LinkedIn, the resurgence of epic in-person events, and the Japanese art of karaoke. This is truly an episode you don’t want to miss.

HUGE thanks to our pals over at SHEPENCO for sponsoring this fine broadcast. For 90 years – and four generations of family ownership – they have defined stability by caring about the success of their distributor partners. Head over to shepenco.com to start your next project today!

Coming in hot as we head into Labor Day weekend, you know it's time for Ep. 86 of the Between 2 Brands #podcast with Bill Petrie! In this week's Opening Shot, Bill talks about what led to his appointment to the PPAI Board as well as the people he's honored to represent. Afterward, he is joined by the President and CEO of ASI, Ashish Mittal, to talk about his transition to the promotional products industry, how he sees technology shaping our collective branded merchandise future, hosting The Counselor Awards, and even his favorite piece of branded merchandise. We think you'll really enjoy the conversation and getting to know Ashish.

BIG thanks to our pals over at Seven Sourcing for sponsoring this fine broadcast. When you're ready to be the partner your clients want – one that delivers unique, custom, and bespoke branded merch designed exclusively for them – reach out to Russ and his team at [email protected].