In today’s episode of #skucast we talk with Nate Bailey, CEO of Ideation, about this journey from salesperson to CEO, the struggles and triumphs of those early days and challenges around cash, biggest mistakes, and something he does really well that might be helpful to you, sales forecasting.

Today's #skucast features Ben Adams with Advoc8, declared Adweek's fastest growing agency in the U.S. and the second fastest-growing agency in the world. Ben sits down to discuss the alchemy of brand positioning and focus that has produced such fast-growth, his favorite projects, and much more!

Last week, the news hit the industry that Genumark acquired RIGHTSLEEVE. Today on #skucast we're joined by commonsku co-founders Mark and Catherine Graham for an interview on their experience and the lessons learned.

A few weeks ago, Mark Graham saw an article on Medium that really captured his imagination and he sent it to our team. We were all stunned by the insights in that article and we thought it was such an important topic for our industry, for suppliers and distributors, that we contacted the author who wrote it, Zander Nethercutt, and asked if we could read it on the skucast.

In today’s episode of #skucast, Bobby Lehew is joined by Mark Graham, commonsku’s Chief Platform Officer, to answer a question from a distributor about how to go about hiring for marketing and launching a marketing strategy.

SanMar is one of the most respected names in the industry and they’ve earned respect through a careful and conscientious focus on the customer. In today’s episode, Mark Graham, commonsku’s co-founder and chief platform officer, chats with Jeremy Lott, President of SanMar, about the ins and outs of running a successful family business.

Eckhard Sohns is the Chief Sales and Marketing Officer for Swiss-based Pagani Pens, the parent company of Prodir, Pigra, and Premec. With a PhD in literature, Eckard’s mission connects both his personal and professional passion, “to convey our competence in this area of communication.”

Carey Guglielmo and his business partner Billy Haile recognized a niche within the corporate sector for just-in-time branded merchandise; they launched AST E-Commerce just five years ago and are already carving a lead in the company store space. Join us for an insightful conversation with Carey as we talk stores, sales growth, and a look toward the future!

In today’s episode, we’re tackling the topic of how to scale with intimacy. Mark Graham and Bobby Lehew are joined by Kate Masewich, commonsku’s Marketing Director. You’ve experienced Kate’s work through every touch-point of our brand and our events, her opinion on this topic is a direct result of working tirelessly to build emotional connections with customers.

What does the future of the promotional products industry really look like? In a fast-moving digital world, what place does branded merch have? 

We’re not talking theory today, we’re not speculating. The future of promo has never looked brighter and today, we look at it through the lens of someone who should know: Isaac Hetzroni, Founder and CEO of Imprint Genius.