Not Quite a Podcast

The best client relationships aren’t built through reports, deliverables, or scopes of work. They’re built by showing up.

Doug and Steve Guberman talk about client kindness and what it means to genuinely care about the people you work with. From getting on a plane just to grab lunch to having the conversations clients don’t always want to hear, it’s a conversation about trust, going the extra mile, and building relationships that are strong enough to last.

Steve Guberman is a coach and M&A advisor for independent agency owners. After building, growing, and selling his own agency, he now helps founders define what they actually want from their business, build an agency that supports those goals, and navigate a sale when the time is right.

You can love your brand. That doesn’t mean your customers will.

Doug and Kaleigh Wiese talk about what happens when businesses brand for themselves instead of the people they’re trying to reach. They get into the connection between brand and the P&L, why the customer experience matters long after the logo is finished, and how the best brands create a feeling people actually remember.

Kaleigh Wiese is Founder of ODE Places, where she works with hotel owners, developers, architects, and operators at the intersection of brand, design, and business performance. Over the past 20 years, she has helped more than 1,000 hospitality and service-based businesses find their edge, strengthen the guest experience, and turn their brand into a healthier business. Her work and clients have been featured in The New York Times, Architectural Digest, Travel + Leisure, CNN, Fortune, and Entrepreneur.

The easy button is tempting. But the real value isn’t in the easy button.

Doug and Jay Mena talk about why the best partnerships are built by "sitting in the mess"—working through the hard problems instead of hiding behind scopes, metrics, or AI. It's a conversation about earning trust, solving business problems, and why caring is still one of the biggest competitive advantages you can have.

Jay Mena is Founder and CMO of Mindful Motif, leading market strategy, partnership development, and client experience across manufacturing, B2B technology, and e-commerce -- Jay helps organizations navigate complex decisions by bringing clarity, collaboration, and a willingness to tackle the problems others avoid. When he’s not focused on projects, he’s actively working on Portuguese as his third language.

Some people set out to build an agency. Andrew Mallis accidentally built one. Doug and Andrew talk about the winding path from art school to entrepreneurship, why design is really just creativity with constraints, and the challenge every founder faces after the excitement of a new idea wears off. It’s a conversation about vision, execution, and why the hardest part of building something is usually the middle.

Andrew Mallis is CEO and co-founder of Kalamuna, a digital agency serving higher education and government in the US and Canada. A graduate of the Ontario College of Art & Design, he was a student activist and later helped build technology infrastructure powering the Occupy Wall Street movement. He continues to put technology at the service of great causes.

What do a Japanese apprenticeship, a career in luxury hospitality, commercial real estate, and 45 years of martial arts have in common? According to Andrew Benioff, they all teach the same lesson – growth rarely comes from comfort. Andrew shares stories from his time living in Japan, apprenticing at a traditional ryokan, working with the Ritz-Carlton, and eventually becoming a real estate investor and developer. He and Doug explore resilience, failure, mindfulness, and why some of life’s most valuable lessons come from learning to sit with discomfort instead of avoiding it.

Andrew has 25+ years’ experience in real estate finance and transactional activities and 15 years experience in the operation and management of luxury hotels. He is the founder of the Independent Lodging Congress, the premier gathering of independent hoteliers, restaurateurs, designers, financiers, investors, tech start-ups and media companies focused on the independent and boutique hospitality sector. He is also the Founder and Chairman of the Philadelphia Real Estate Council, a nonprofit organization of real estate executives focused on the mid-Atlantic region.

Two restaurateurs get real about what it takes to build something of your own — long hours, real pressure, and getting your team to believe it’s all worth it.  Alex shares how his experience with Ralph Lauren and Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts shaped the way he approaches building Bar Rêve from the ground up. Doug talks about the good kind of stress, and they both agree that the best ideas don’t stay in one industry.

Alex is Co-Founder of Bar Rêve in New York City. He has been featured in Vogue, The New York Times, and LOOP, and speaks globally on how luxury brand experience translates into independent hospitality.

Amy and Doug have a shared love of boutique hotels. But as entrepreneurs and business owners, they cover a lot of ground in this lighthearted discussion about generosity, lessons learned, and how people are their favorite part about their jobs.

Amy is a Principal at Hatteras Sky, a commercial real estate development firm with properties across the country, committed to creating places that move, inspire, and serve as the backdrop for lifelong memories. Her properties have received national acclaim, with restaurants earning placement in the Michelin Guide for the Southeast.

Omar is a true champion of the boutique hotel and a firm believer that the right story can transform a property. This episode is a deep dive into why storytelling isn’t just creative fluff, but a strategic advantage. Call it “Storytime with Omar and Doug” — a conversation about helping brands of all kinds uncover what makes them distinct and worth desiring.

Creative Director at Studio Circa, Omar helps bridge the emotional gap between people and place by designing brand platforms that reflect the soul of boutique hotel properties with a focus on driving direct bookings and long-term appeal. He also partners with developers early in the process to shape brands that elevate perceived value and ROI in real estate with the maxim – Distinction Drives Desire.

We love a good Founder Story and Rob’s will inspire and encourage. Doug and Rob go down memory lane from their beginnings as young founders building their own websites on Flash (before websites were popular), to still loving what they do 20-plus years later. They also cast their prediction on how technology will help or hurt us when it comes to serving what matters most – people.

Rob began his hospitality career at the age of 26, as the innkeeper of an 8-room bed and breakfast on Nantucket Island in Massachusetts. As the Founder and Chairman of Lark, Rob is now the steward of a portfolio of real estate valued at nearly $1B with an annual revenue stream over $150MM. Rob takes pride in having worked every position in his hotels, from toilet scrubber to line cook to general manager and attributes the success of Lark, not only to his ability to learn on his feet, but mostly to his knack for bringing amazing people together.