In this episode I'm joined by Sam Conniff, the author of Be More Pirate, creator of Uncertainty Experts and stand-up comedian. I speak to Sam about what marketers can learn from the pirates (which is a genuinely interesting look back in time), how we can deal with uncertain times and find out what his best joke is in his new hobby, stand-up comedy.

To win a copy of Sam's book, you just have to guess the number of books he's sold. Send me a message on LinkedIn with your guess.

What we covered:

•  Why hot pink is the colour of a punk rebellion
•  Creating a challenger brand pirate operation inside a large soft drink company
•  The fear and loneliness of the challenger
•  Why piracy inspired a book about being an entrepreneur
•  How today is like the golden age of privacy
•  The forward thinking nature of Piracy that are relevant today
•  How piracy is a creative rebellion
•  Pioneering fair pay, equal relationships, insurance scheme, democratic process
•  How the pirate flag became the worlds first super brand
•  How ‘surrender or die’ was a very effective strap line
•  Protecting the pirate brand guidelines
•  The power of shared values in victory
•  What do you do with no money
•  Why values based results never materialised
•  How fear drives decision making
•  Navigating yourself off the map
•  The pirates that work in the Navy
•  How the pirate code ensured strong accountability
•  The role of advertising in a post consumer society
•  The fantasy of the ‘business plan’ compared to lived values
•  What are you willing to fight for?
•  The best modern day pirates
•  How pirates end up becoming the navy
•  Turning land-fill firehoses into luxury items
•  The 5 Pirate Principles also known as the 5 ‘Rrrrr’s’
•  The upheaval that led to becoming an expert on Uncertainty
•  What you can learn from gang members in prison
•  How the pandemic was predictable
•  The truth in most situations is ‘I don’t know’
•  There is discovery in doubt
•  The profound impact of increasing your uncertainty tolerance
•  Sam shares a surprising new talent