A special announcement today. The Colossus Merchandise Shop is open for business. If you're listening to this, that means we avoided my biggest fear. We did not break the internet, but please head over to joincolossus.com where you will find a link to our shop.

Staying on that theme, Dom and I hosted Michael Williams from A Continuous Lean for a timely conversation on branding, merchandise, and how companies can differentiate themselves. Michael has been writing about heritage brands for over 15 years. In a world where every website looks the same and every gift guide has the same recommendations, Michael consistently presents original things. Enjoy the episode.

For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.

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Show Notes

(00:04:00) - (First question) - The early days of launching A Continuous Lean and how it transitioned into the business he built around it

(00:06:19) - What led to ACL being featured in the New York Times

(00:08:29) - Deciding to branch out from ACL and creating his consulting agency

(00:10:43) - How he’s managed to stay true to his vision of staying small and in control

(00:12:34) - The best strategy and advice he could give brands today

(00:15:45) - Key characteristics of companies that are bad or good at marketing

(00:21:39) - Further case studies for brands that are seemingly timeless

(00:22:27) - His favorite aspects of the Master's Golf Tournament

(00:24:29) - Rolex: Timeless Excellence; The Walt Disney Company: An Entertainment Empire

(00:26:34) - When corporate merch became a thing what the point of it is

(00:30:14) - Whether or not the rules of consumer goods and quality apply to corporate merch

(00:32:08) - What made the Domino’s Rolex so desirable as a branded watch

(00:34:04) - The cult-ish appeal of the New Yorker tote bag

(00:34:54) - Ways to collaborate with celebrities to grow merch awareness

(00:35:55) - The process of building and launching the ACL merch store

(00:41:48) - Developing brand partnerships and his experience with them

(00:44:46) - Whether or not it’s worth it for a business like Colossus to launch a merch store

(00:46:14) - Having taste instinctually or if it can learned over time

(00:47:43) - Possible reasons why Apple doesn’t have a merch shop

(00:49:14) - Quality, exclusivity, and scarcity as factors in the success of merch

(00:50:47) - Debrief

#20 Reflections on an unschooled childhood, childbirth and self-directed education, with Bria Bloom