Bad Business with Bryan Laurel
117 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 3 years ago - ★★★★★ - 118 ratingsBad Business offers best (and worst) practices for small businesses and entrepreneurs. Host Bryan Laurel has spent the past 25+ years as a marketing professional and consultant working for or with brands including: Apple Computer, AMC Theatres, General Electric, LifeLock, Alzheimer's Association, Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, Dillard's and Harkins Theatres.
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
Episode 16 Create a Killer Pitch Deck & Preparing Youth for Jobs of the Future with guest Susan Brooks
January 23, 2015 14:16 - 54 minutes - 49.5 MBWe talk seeking out investors for your small business or startup with tips on creating a killer pitch deck. We suggest Googling to find some great templates but also check out this blog post by Adam Waaramaa at bit.ly/1ClGIbQ. Melissa discusses a Huffington Post article about prepating the young for jobs of the future - even jobs that don't exist yet. She'll explain. Check out that article http://huff.to/1d6VjqR. Finally we talk to entrepreneur and superior customer service expert, Susan Br...
Episode 15 Departure
January 20, 2015 10:30 - 12 minutes - 11.6 MBThis week's short "A" episode chronicles Melissa and Bryan giving notice and making the departure from their corporate jobs. Leaving their steady paycheck and benefits behind, Bryan and Melissa decide they're ready to take on the new adventure of starting their own company. Hosts Melissa Epstein and Bryan Laurel can be contacted at [email protected]
Episode 14 McDonald's TV Spot Controversy & Domain Pickpocketing with Guest Eric McCarthy
January 16, 2015 03:32 - 43 minutes - 40 MBWe're back for another action-packed episode. Melissa talks McDonald's TV spots - specifically, the burger chain's "Signs" spot that was recently unveiled and promptly met with equal applause and boos. Listen to find out why. Bryan is angry. Very angry. He's been pickpocketed - a domain for a client project was swiped and he's here to tell you how to avoid losing your ideal domain to the faceless evil that lurks online. Then we interview entrepreneur, Eric McCarthy. Eric shares experiences ...
Episode 13 The Beginning of the End
January 13, 2015 22:58 - 8 minutes - 7.86 MBIn this week's abbreviated episode, Bryan and Melissa discuss the beginning of the end of their corporate lives. Recounting the dilemmas and decisions that prompted them to leave their corporate job, they make the choice to alter their personal and professional lives. Hosts Melissa Epstein and Bryan Laurel can be contacted at [email protected]
Episode 12 Marketing Trends & Business Resolutions 2015 with Guest Neal Hoffman
January 09, 2015 00:41 - 48 minutes - 44.4 MBWe kick off 2015 with a brand new, super, double-awesome episode. We talk resolutions for 2015. We talk marketing and PR trends for 2015. We coin the term "2015-Style" (we don't know what that means either) but basically, it's a regular 2015-palooza up in here. Our guest this week is the creator of The Mensch on a Bench, Neal Hoffman. Neal, a recent guest on ABC's Shark Tank and former Hasbro brand manager, tells us his journey from idea to production to retail shelves - and the lessons lear...
Episode 11 Introduction to Bryan Laurel
December 18, 2014 17:14 - 14 minutes - 12.8 MBThis week (and most weeks from here on) we'll offer a second episode with a different spin than our typical episode. These shorter, bite-sized episodes chronicle our journey in making the leap from corporate life to starting our own company, Syndicate Public Relations. We're not claiming to have all the answers but these "A" episodes will give a narrative of our successes, mistakes and lessons learned along the way. Our hope is that if you are considering a similar leap to pursue something y...
Episode 10 Mensch on a Bench & Hackathons For Your Business with Guest Martin Peters
December 18, 2014 17:10 - 36 minutes - 33 MBThis week we reveal the holidays we celebrate and learn one of the Bad Business Co-Hosts isn't really putting forth much of an effort to decorate their home for the holidays. Nevertheless, we discuss the excellent entrepreneurial story behind the popular Mensch on a Bench doll and how non-techy Hackathons can create focus and growth for businesses of any size. We interview Martin Peters, General Manager of AutoNation Ford Scottsdale. Peter tells us how he went from abandoning his first car i...
Episode 9 Introduction to Melissa Epstein
December 16, 2014 09:01 - 9 minutes - 8.6 MBThis week (and most weeks from here on) we'll offer a second episode with a different spin than our typical episode. These shorter, bite-sized episodes chronicle our journey in making the leap from corporate life to starting our own company, Syndicate PR. We're not claiming to have all the answers but these "A" episodes will give a narrative of our successes, mistakes and lessons learned along the way. If you are considering a similar leap to pursue a professional change, these episodes will...
Episode 8 Favorite Things for Business & What to Expect When Hiring a PR Firm with Guest Jeff Noble
December 11, 2014 17:54 - 47 minutes - 43.4 MBThis year delivered some great things for business and Bryan runs down his list of favorite gadgets, apps and books for you entrepreneur/business types. Melissa provides a helpful list of things to consider when hiring a PR firm (such as their Syndicate Public Relations). This week we interview veteran photographer, Jeff Noble. Jeff is an artist and magician when it comes to portrait, product and architectural photography - and he's, like, 17 feet tall with a Nike show fetish. So listen to...
Episode 7 Star Wars Hype Piggybacking & Holiday Party Etiquette
December 04, 2014 17:13 - 30 minutes - 27.9 MBIt's holiday party season. For good or bad, you're probably attending a work-related holiday party. No matter if it's hosted by your company, a vendor or client's company or a friend, there are some rules to abide by here. Rules many lose sight of after several eggnogs - Melissa is here with tips to have a great time and preserve your professional image as well. Bryan gets geeked out about Star Wars Episode VII. Yeah, he knows it's a YEAR AWAY, but he has some valuable tips on how your bus...
Episode 6 Dealing with Online Reviews and Black Friday 2014
November 27, 2014 16:34 - 21 minutes - 19.3 MBOhhhhhhh! It's almost Black Friday, can you feel the excitement? Melissa can. It's pretty much her favorite day of the year. She discusses the good and bad of what Black Friday has become and small things you can do to Black Friday-it-up for your business. Bryan talks online reviews (Yelp and the like). Many businesses feel helpless when it comes to reviews left online, but this week's episode gives some tips to take control of what is being placed online about your company. Hosts Melissa ...
Episode 5 Best & Worst Branding 2014 and Being Late is Not Cool with guest Steve Schnall Phoenix Childrens Hospital
November 20, 2014 17:43 - 37 minutes - 34.7 MBWho doesn't love an end-of-year best/worst list? Crazy people, that's who! Melissa is not crazy so she brings you the creme and crap of the crop in this year's branding that is so chock-full of helpful do and don't tips for your business, you just may cry. Bryan discusses the impact of being late and the damage it does to your personal and professional brand - and how to get your act together. We interview Phoenix Children's Hospital Foundation Senior Vice President and Chief Development Of...
Episode 4 Networking Events Stink & Millennials with Guest Sheree Hartwell
November 13, 2014 18:35 - 47 minutes - 43 MBListen to this episode and learn how to navigate and make the most networking events and avoid wasting your time with terrible networking events. Melissa brings some facts and figures about Millennials and how they're slowly but surely taking over businesses everywhere - and why you should embrace them (figuratively speaking, not actually embracing them. That's a bad HR thing there.) In our third segment we discuss business ownership and career paths with Sheree Hartwell, owner of the Ford ...
Episode 3 McConaughey Sells Lincolns and Your Website Sucks with Guest Matt Smith
November 06, 2014 17:07 - 49 minutes - 45.4 MBAlright, alright, alright. This week Melissa digs into the bizarre but effective Lincoln ad campaign featuring Matthey McConaughey - and the mockery that has come along with it... Mockery that, crazily enough, is actually helping Lincoln sell more cars. Bryan gets real with you to evaluate and improve your website. Speaking of "real", ever hear of MTV's The Real World? Well we interview RW alum Matt Smith who appeared on the New Orleans season (the good one, circa 2000) and talk about his cr...
Episode 2 Sexy Corn on the Cob and Sweaty Underpants with Guest Dave Pratt
October 30, 2014 17:00 - 46 minutes - 42.3 MBThis week Walmart screws up big, just in time for Halloweeen and we dogpile on it while extracting lessons to apply to your business. Melissa talks about sweaty underpants (seriously) and the importance of keeping your employees happy no matter how large or small the company. We also find a way to work in Sexy Corn on the Cob talk, and who doesn't love that kind of talk? Finally, we interview radio icon Dave Pratt aka The Morning Mayor. Dave shares his career journey and offers advice to oth...
Episode 1 Bad Toys & The Brilliance of Oreos with Guest Tara Hitchcock
October 23, 2014 16:56 - 42 minutes - 38.7 MBThis week we discuss the angry uprising of moms over the existance of Breaking Bad toys at Toys R Us and the marketing brilliance behind the Oreo cookie brand. We also interview TV media veteran Tara Hitchcock and get some insight to the life of a news personality. Of course, we tie it all together with tips to benefit businesses and entrepreneurs alike. Hosts Melissa Epstein and Bryan Laurel can be reached at www.syndicatepr.com.
Episode Zero: A Bad Business Introduction
October 22, 2014 16:13 - 10 minutes - 9.2 MBBad Business launches with a short episode of what to expect from this informative, and snarky conversational podcast. Hosts Bryan Laurel and Melissa Epstein, Principals of Syndicate Public Relations (syndicatepr.com) wield more than 40 years of marketing, advertising, event production and public relations experience to help businesses and entrepreneurs grow and improve. With real-world business examples of the "bad, meaning bad" and the "BAD, meaning good" Bryan and Melissa strive to convey...