SIMPLE brand With Matt Lyles

In this week’s episode of the SIMPLE brand With Matt Lyles podcast I talk with Carla Johnson about her latest book, RE:Think Innovation!

I preach “Innovating to stay ahead” as one of the key behaviors that creates simple experiences. But there’s a challenge with innovation.

People make innovation much harder than it has to be. They think innovation is confusing, complicated, intimidating, complex. They think you need a special degree or training to do innovation right. They think it’s something that only elite natural-born geniuses are capable of.

And because of these assumptions, most people think that they’re not innovative.

The truth is, consistently coming up with great, innovative, creative ideas isn’t a talent you’re born with or a skill that takes years to learn. Anyone can do it. But it does help to have a process to understand HOW to be innovative.

And that’s why I’m glad to talk with Carla Johnson in this episode. Carla’s one of the top marketing keynote speakers. And she’s a bestselling author of multiple books with her latest book coming out this summer: RE:Think Innovation: How the World’s Most Prolific Innovators Come Up With Great Ideas That Deliver Extraordinary Outcomes.

In RE:Think Innovation,  Carla teaches how to make innovation everyone’s business. In fact - she’s got a goal to teach one million people how to become innovative thinkers by 2025 - and today - you get to be one of those people.

RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE

• Carla's book: RE:Think Innovation
• Carla's site
• Carla on Instagram
• Carla on Twitter

In this week’s episode of the SIMPLE brand With Matt Lyles podcast I talk with Joe Pulizzi about his latest book, Content Inc!

In 2021 it’s hard to create and run a successful business without content. And if you do content right, it’ll help you build a loyal audience of customers. But it’s not easy to figure out HOW to do content right. What do you create? Who should you create it for? Where should you distribute it? One or two places or everywhere all at once? How can you make sure you’re doing it correctly instead of wasting your time and resources? It’s almost like you need a guide book to help you figure it all out.

And Joe Pulizzi has that guide book for you.

Joe’s the founder of Content Marketing Institute and The Tilt. He’s the co-host of the This Old Marketing podcast. And he’s the best-selling author of a number of books including Content Inc. The best way to reach and serve your customers today is through content. But you can’t just throw out a bunch of content everywhere - you need a plan, and this book will help you strategically and intentionally build that plan.

RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE

• Joe's book: Content Inc.
• The Tilt
• Orange Effect Foundation
• This Old Marketing podcast
• Joe on Instagram
• Joe on Twitter

In this week’s episode of the SIMPLE brand With Matt Lyles podcast I talk with Stephanie Stuckey, CEO of Stuckey's Corporation. 

If you’re my age, or even older, you likely remember the roadside retail brand - Stuckey’s. At one time it was the main roadside convenience store chain along much of the U.S. highways. If you were on a family road trip, you knew that was the place where you could stop and get a consistent experience, lots of treats - including their famous pecan log, and lots of souvenirs to keep everyone occupied in the car. 

But I understand if you’re not that familiar with Stuckey’s - it’s not the road trip icon that it once was. At their peak, Stuckey’s had over 350 locations in the U.S. Now they have less than 70.

As Stuckey’s fell out of family hands and was sold and resold to different owners, the brand has been struggling for decades. Until now. 

In late 2019 Stephanie Stuckey, grand-daughter of founder W.S. Stuckey, purchased and took the leadership reigns over Stuckey’s and now she’s full-steam ahead on turning the brand around.

Stephanie and I discuss all the work she’s been doing  to mount a brand comeback story that’s redefining the road trip experience and capturing the hearts of nostalgia-loving fans everywhere. From her scrappy marketing strategy, to simplifying her operations, to the lessons she learned from her grandfather, to turning a profit for the first time in over five years - it’s all a fascinating discussion that gives you some great insight into how to revive a dying brand. 

RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE

• Stuckey's site
• Stuckey's on Instagram
• Stuckey's on Facebook
• Stuckey's on Twitter
• Stephanie on Instagram
• Stephanie on Twitter

In this week’s episode of the SIMPLE brand With Matt Lyles podcast I talk with Scott Miller about his latest book, Marketing Mess to Brand Success!

If you’ve listened to the SIMPLE brand podcast enough then you know that most of the guests I bring on teach about marketing,  leadership or other business functions and will tell you, “Here’s how I became successful. Here’s how you do it.” And those stories ARE great. And they ARE insightful.

But rarely will you find someone who’s vulnerable enough to say, “Well - I made some mistakes. Do NOT do what I did.”

And that’s why this week’s guest stands out among most other leadership thought leaders. It’s Scott Miller - back again with another of his “Mess to Success” books: Marketing Mess to Brand Success.

Scott’s the Executive VP of Thought Leadership with Franklin Covey. He’s the host of  FranklinCovey's On Leadership With Scott Miller podcast. And he’s one of the few authors who’s on a mission to release leadership books filled with lessons on what NOT to do - including his latest book that releases today: Marketing Mess to Brand Success. It’s 30 different challenges he went through and that you need to overcome if you’re a marketing leader who wants your team to truly thrive.

RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE

• Scott's book: Marketing Mess to Brand Success
• Scott's book: Management Mess to Leadership Success
• Scott's site
• Scott's Ignite Your Genius career coaching course
• FranklinCovey's On Leadership With Scott Miller podcast
• Scott on Instagram
• Scott on Facebook

When you think about it, most every business started small. And they usually started with one person, two or three if they were lucky. And that business owner had to wear a number of hats. They had to figure out how to work on the business at the same time that they were working in the business.  

And that business owner has to learn a lot of lessons as that business grows. Lessons around providing the customer experience, lessons around leading their people, lessons around when and how to make impactful decisions.

That’s why I’m excited to be talking with Gigi Butler in this episode.

Gigi is the founder of the largest cupcake franchise in the world - Gigi’s Cupcakes. And she’s the author of The Secret Ingredient: Recipes for Success In Business and Life. Today, Gigi’s a highly sought-after speaker where she gives her inspirational and entrepreneurial lessons. 

Gigi and I discuss her lessons from growing her business as well as creating a consistent customer experience.

In this week’s episode of the SIMPLE brand With Matt Lyles podcast I talk with Nick Westergaard about his latest book, Brand Now: How to Stand Out In a Crowded, Distracted World!

With the world evolving at a rapid pace, with the increase in digital media, it's harder than ever for businesses to be heard. If you think about how much you get overwhelmed by message clutter, your customers are getting overwhelmed just as much - maybe more. It’s getting increasingly difficult to stand out. So if you want to stand out today, it starts with your brand and the brand experience you provide.

That’s why I’m thrilled to have Nick Westergaard on the show this week.

Nick’s one of the top marketing keynote speakers and influencers. He’s the host of the On Brand podcast. And he’s the author of Brand Now. 

Nick and I discuss the foundational brand lessons from his book. And we discuss how any business - large or small - can create a brand experience that’s simple and transparent and can stand out at every customer interaction.

Nick helps you learn all that and much more in this week's episode.