skucast

What if the secret to growth isn't sending more emails, but sending fewer? Dean Caravelis, founder of Blezoo and author of "The Experience in a Box Playbook," explains why precision beats volume in promotional products.

We dive into why campaign complexity kills memorability, the physical renaissance happening as digital fatigue sets in, and how commonsku amplifies personal relationships instead of replacing them.

Joel Freet's team ships orders in 6 minutes flat. The Cutter & Buck CEO reveals how robots, AI, and smart automation transformed their fulfillment operations.

What if the next $100 million distributor only needs 10 employees? Leo Friedman, CEO of iPromo, believes this bold prediction is already becoming reality. Since 1999, Leo has built iPromo from startup to industry powerhouse: 75 employees, 55,000+ customers, and 500+ on-demand products that solve the MOQ problem everyone else struggles with. But here's the kicker: AI is about to make everything we know about scaling obsolete. From 30-minute store builds to AI agents that nurture leads while you sleep, Leo reveals why physical products will dominate the digital noise and how smart distributors can ride this wave.

Ready to future-proof your distributorship? Dive in!

What does the promo industry look like from the inside out? I mean, all the way to the source, from manufacturing in Asia to the delivered product to clients. Well, in today’s show, we’re getting a peek behind the scenes as we take a promo tour through Asia with Dave Shultz, commonsku’s VP of Supplier Partnerships, and Mark Graham, commonsku’s President and Chief Brand Officer! The two industry vets journeyed to Asia for a factory tour and a visit to the Hong Kong Gifts and Premium Fair, plus, they joined CJ Schmidt, the CEO of HIT Promo to help build a water tower outside of Hanoi with PromoCares through Planet Water Foundation’s “Water for Good” initiative.

Can you hit a 30% growth target YTD and still make a major contribution to your community? Apparently, you can. In this episode, we talk with Nevin Bansal. Nevin is the Founder and CEO of Outreach Promos, a Columbus-based company providing online brandstores, branded merch, and design solutions. Nevin is also the founder and Executive Director of Small Biz Cares, a nonprofit that engages small businesses for philanthropy and community impact. Tune in to learn how to impact your bottom line and your community!

Britney Godsey is the dynamic CRO at Gold Bond, we chat about tariffs, the "China plus one" strategy some suppliers employ, the recent implementation of commonsku ePOs for streamlined order processing, and tech advancements like the Brand Lab AI podcast and chatbot, alongside a focus on team growth, plus their strategic focus on Tech, Golf Dominance, Green Gallery, and ZipShip. Join us for a wide-ranging but incredibly informative chat with Britney!

Tom Havens, a creative powerhouse and the visionary founder of Havens Consulting, possesses a remarkable sales background and deep roots in creative and design for the promo industry. His leadership propelled Catalyst Marketing to $25 MM before its acquisition by HALO in 2017. Driven by his passion for innovation, Tom launched Havens Consulting in 2024, dedicated to empowering distributors and suppliers to achieve unprecedented sales growth.

Episode 338: A Branded Product Agency Philosophy with Francis Pierrel, LR Paris by commonsku

Episode 337: Mastering Client Complexity Through Mergers: A Chat with Kate Ivory and Laura Mazy, Premier Press by commonsku

Episode 336: The “Quiet Work” of a Power Brand: Inside MOTIF’s Unique Culture with Joel Antymniuk by commonsku