The How and Why of Building a Great Strategic Narrative w/ Andrew Walsh of Applicate Commerce

Today’s guest is Andrew Walsh of Applicate Commerce.

As the president and CEO of Applicate, Andrew is at the helm of one of the biggest shifts in the company’s sixty-year history. The company—previously known as Paint Sundries Solutions—had stayed in their lane for decades as a distributor of applied architectural products.
But the rise of ecommerce was disrupting their linear supply chain, threatening the market share of brands and local retailers, and training consumers to demand more, better, faster, and cheaper.
So they turned to The Storied Future to help them define a strategic narrative that would draw their organization, partners, and customers toward an irresistible future defined by value creation, growth, and transformation.
In this episode, Chris and Andrew cover:

• The history of Applicate Commerce, and the challenges they faced with the rise of ecommerce
• Andrew’s experience as a janitor on the shop floor of Applicate that showed him the power of a cohesive narrative
• How Applicate worked with The Storied Future to create a strategic narrative to guide them and their stakeholders as the business evolved
• The crucial importance of getting CEO buy-in on a new strategic narrative
• Why operating from their values is a catalyst, not a constraint, for Applicate 

And much more!

Drop us a line at chris@thestoriedfuture.com to get a copy of The Anatomy of a Strategic Narrative, The Storied Future's ebook about how we built a great strategic narrative with Applicate Commerce.