Pro skateboarder turned entrepreneur turned city council member, Mikey Taylor is a jack of all trades and a master of... well, apparently all of them! Join us as Sean and Mikey take us through the lifelong journey of one of southern California's most recognizable entrepreneurs. Everybody wants to make a living doing what they love, and Mikey certainly has and continues to embody that. This week, Mikey enlightens us with his very own methods of gaining and sustaining financial freedom as well as advice for those looking to take their first step. Not to mention, balancing that with being an incredible family man and going above and beyond for his community.  Ladies and gentlemen, Mikey Taylor. 

Boy it's great to have the Awesome Office podcast back! But who is this new voice? We all remember Sean, but now get to know...... Sean! Sean Spear that is!  Sean Spear, former co-host of the podcast, has taken it upon himself to return Awesome Office to its ever-lasting glory! Last episode, we all got to experience the passing of the torch from one Sean to the next. Now, before diving into a new wave of episodes with our impressive lineup of guests - both new and returning - we felt a deeper introduction was necessary.  In this episode, Sean shares with us the many truths and lessons he has uncovered in his journey to where he is today. So without further ado, here are the 34 Things Sean Spear has learned in his very own 34 years of life. 

Ladies and gentlemen... the moment you've all been waiting for... The Awesome Office Podcast is back! This episode, we are taking it all the way back to where we started with our guest: Awesome Office's former host Sean Kelly! As many of you listeners know, Sean Kelly is a serial entrepreneur who in addition to starting and growing a number of his own businesses has taken it upon himself to inspire a whole new generation of entrepreneurs in building their own great businesses and lives.  In this informal "passing of the torch", Sean and Sean discuss what it takes to not only be a great entrepreneur, but to live a complete, fulfilling life as well. Believe it or not, you can have both. 

Reminder - we’re combining the Awesome Office and Brand Builder podcasts into one show. (Think of it as Awesome Office 2.0.) What’s different? In a way, not a lot. We’ll still do culture-focused features and interviews every other Thursday, led by host Sean Kelly. But now they’ll be available in a different feed, so make sure to subscribe to Brand Builder in Apple Podcasts.  In addition, every Monday we’ll have new content focused on building your brand and scaling your business.  We just launched our first culture-focused Brand Builder, and here it is - a conversation with Traci Fenton, the CEO and founder of WorldBlu. -- Have you ever worked in a fear-based environment? One where you spend every waking minute walking on eggshells? Where the wrath of a demanding boss is always top of mind, stifling creativity and innovation? If you have, you know it's not fun. In fact, it can be downright miserable for employees. And, ironically, it doesn't produce great results either. Instead of precise, high quality output, you're much more likely to see uninspired, unimaginative work - and an anemic bottom line to match. So what’s the antidote to a fear-based workplace? Today’s guest has something to say about that. In our inaugural Culture Builder edition of Brand Builder, we speak to Traci Fenton, a globally recognized researcher, speaker, author, and the founder and CEO of WorldBlu. Traci founded WorldBlu in 1997 and has helped spark and lead the global conversation around reinventing workplaces using freedom and organizational democracy rather than fear and control. She and the team envision one billion people living, leading, and working in freedom worldwide. SnackNation CEO Sean Kelly spoke with Traci about what it takes to create a Freedom Centered Workplace, and the astounding results you can achieve within the WorldBlu framework. Links WorldBlu Connect with Traci on LinkedIn Have an idea for the show? Drop us a line! Brandbuilder@snacknation.com. Brand Builder is a co-production of SnackNation and ForceBrands.

Exciting news - we’re combining the Awesome Office and Brand Builder podcasts. Think of it as Awesome Office 2.0. What’s different? In a way, not a lot. We’ll still do culture-focused features and interviews every other Thursday, led by host Sean Kelly. But now they’ll be available in a different feed, so make sure to subscribe to Brand Builder in Apple Podcasts (or however you listen). In addition to that, every Monday we’ll have new content focused on building your brand and scaling your business. Over time, we realized how interconnected these topics are, and consolidating these shows in one place just made sense. To give you a feel for what you can expect, we’re bridging the gap between Awesome Office and Brand Builder with an episode with Tyler Merrick, the CEO and founder of Project 7. Project 7 is a gourmet specialty candy brand dedicated to creating one of a kind customer experiences while giving back to 7 areas of need. Basically, Project 7 comes up with totally out there flavors – like birthday cake flavored gum or moscow mule flavored organic gummies – and then partner with non profits who are making an impact both in America and abroad. We chose this episode because it gives you a good sense of the Brand Builder content that we think you’ll enjoy. It covers some familiar ground in terms of topics - and it’s just a great story. We’ve combined a two part episode into one episode. Takeaways In social entrepreneurship, is your cause a lead actor or part of the supporting cast? Project 7 was founded on Tyler’s desire to bring more purpose to his life’s work. Finding the right way to position the causes he cared about involved a giant learning curve. Tyler shares how he found the balance that would allow the causes to shine and the business to flourish. Stay lean. Think your business can’t reach the next level without hiring a bunch of CPG heavy hitters? Well, Tyler and Project 7 expanded to 12,000 stores with fewer than 10 full time employees. He shares a very specific tactic for figuring out whether or not you really need to make that next hire. How to bounce back. One of the most interesting parts of Project 7’s success story… is that it could have easily ended. Tyler answers the question - how do you recover from the brink of failure? If you really want to make a difference, lead with product and brand. It doesn’t matter how great your cause marketing is or how charitable your customer. At the end of the day, features and benefits drive consumer behavior. You need a thriving business before you can give back. Hire smart. Not sure whether or not make that next hire? Only pull the trigger if you’re confident the revenue they bring in will be 2.5x their salary. Let your sales numbers tell a story. Start with the buyers who are on board with your concept in order to provide proof of concept - show some momentum and you'll have a nice little velocity story to bring to the more skeptical buyers. Practice Radical Responsibility. Tyler had to make some hard choices, and he maintained his credibility as a leader by shouldering some of the blame. Innovate inside the box. You can diversify your product line without adding too much risk by innovating within limitations. Links Project 7 Connect with Tyler on LinkedIn Subscribe to Brand Builder in Apple Podcasts.

We’re currently experiencing a golden age for startup brands. It’s easier today to launch, build, and scale a consumer brand than perhaps any other time in history. But that’s not to say it’s easy. Startup brands still face obstacles, old and new, including how to stand out from the glut of new brands, how to adapt to the constantly shifting landscape of retail, and how to best leverage the wide array of data and tools now available at their fingertips. Luckily for us, Courtney Reum is here to answer those questions. Courtney and his brother Carter are the authors of the best selling new book Shortcut Your Startup, and he shares some of the top insights with us in this updated episode. Courtney gives a glimpse into the book with a few of his shortcuts - Role of brand in frictionless scaling. How to make sure you don't miss out on a key insight. Why it's important to know whether your brand is a “speedboat” or a “sailboat.” The power of “heart-based” momentum. Why success doesn’t necessarily equate to an exit. Links M13 Shortcut Your Startup by Courtney and Carter Reum Connect with Courtney on LinkedIn  Like this episode? Then let us know! Subscribe, rate, and review the show in Apple Podcasts. This show grows by word of mouth, and the more we grow, the more Awesome we can all create together.

This week’s Awesome Office guest is a builder of disruptive brands. We’re talking about Scott Painter, probably best known as the founder and CEO of both True Car and Cars Direct. He’s made a name for himself by launching and leading companies that anticipate consumer behavior and then capture huge markets. This time out, Scott has his eyes on something no one has really done before - building a global brand around the concept of fairness.

Learn about the importance of appreciation and recognition in the workplace. Find out the dos and don'ts of employee appreciation, including the significance of recognizing effort and the person. Discover the importance of self-recognition and providing quality snacks to show care. Understand how perks can align with company culture and enhance appreciation.

Richard Sheridan, CEO of Menlo Innovations, talks about unlocking the business value of Joy. He discusses his journey to Menlo and the importance of culture. He shares unique approaches to meetings and how joy impacts productivity. He also explores creating a culture of team focus and dispels the misconception of low attrition. Lastly, he discusses the benefits of welcoming back former employees and shares book recommendations and favorite interview questions.

Building an authentic, employee-led company culture is what most of aspire to. It can be the key to making your org a magnet for talent. Retention and engagement suddenly become a breeze. The problem - it’s a lot easier said than done. As always, we’re here to help. This week we’ve got Joey Joyce on the podcast to share the secret to creating a culture inspired by your values, but built by your employees. Joey is a senior team member at SnackNation, and the president of SnackNation’s Culture Committee. His insights provide a framework for launching a Culture Committee at your organization. That’s what we dig into in this interview - tactics for launching, scaling, and maintaining an employee-led culture committee at your company. Here are Joey’s tips for launching a successful culture committee at your organization: Select a Representative from each department. Every department has its own needs, challenges, and subculture. Your committee should give everyone a seat at the table, and work towards a culture that works for all. Write a Mission Statement. Your committee should have a specific, culture-related purpose in sight. It might be to improve communication, make the office healthier, or to just make the day more enjoyable. Our Mission Statement was to live the company’s values, spread joy and optimism with events that the team would enjoy, and break down departmental silos and increase collaboration. Chart a Roadmap. Once you nail your mission, work backwards to create measurable goals and a path to achieve them. Capture and Incorporate Feedback. Some initiatives you’ll knock out of the park, others will require some adjustment before you get them right. You won’t know what works unless you ask your team. Field surveys… or better yet, just talk to people! When times are tough, AMF (Always Move Forward). One of the biggest challenges with a Culture Committee is that it’s basically extra work for everyone involved. Each member has her primary job responsibilities, which always come first. In any given week you might have an engineer struggling to ship a product on time or a salesperson feeling the pressure to hit her goal. The key, according to Joey, is to find the right balance and always move cultural initiatives forward. If only two people can meet for ten minutes, meet for ten minutes. Just AMF. Break out into subcommittees. Scale your committee as your company grows by creating specialized subcommittees. Practice Radical Responsibility. Ultimately, your Culture Committee will only work if members hold themselves accountable.