skucast

Carey Guglielmo and his business partner Billy Haile recognized a niche within the corporate sector for just-in-time branded merchandise; they launched AST E-Commerce just five years ago and are already carving a lead in the company store space. Join us for an insightful conversation with Carey as we talk stores, sales growth, and a look toward the future!

In today’s episode, we’re tackling the topic of how to scale with intimacy. Mark Graham and Bobby Lehew are joined by Kate Masewich, commonsku’s Marketing Director. You’ve experienced Kate’s work through every touch-point of our brand and our events, her opinion on this topic is a direct result of working tirelessly to build emotional connections with customers.

What does the future of the promotional products industry really look like? In a fast-moving digital world, what place does branded merch have?  We’re not talking theory today, we’re not speculating. The future of promo has never looked brighter and today, we look at it through the lens of someone who should know: Isaac Hetzroni, Founder and CEO of Imprint Genius.

In today's episode of #skucast, Mark Graham and Bobby Lehew grapple with tactical ideas on how to be more creative (and not just artistically), we explore the subject of creativity from creative sourcing to creative design.

In today's episode of #skucast, we sit down with BELLA + CANVAS Co-Founder, Danny Harris. He discusses the early days of the business and how they pioneered a movement toward fashion wear in the wholesale market, their ecological footprint, the influx of competition in the premium market, and much more!

In today’s episode of skucast Cindy discusses how her choice to begin a life of extreme adventure has infused and transformed her business adventure.

In today’s episode, commonsku’s CEO Catherine Graham joins us to talk about the new connected workflow and how ePOs (electronic purchase orders), the strongest link in the connected workflow chain, allow for the effortless transfer of accurate, live data, from ideation to orders to production to invoicing without compromising the accuracy on any order.

Today’s conversation is with Aly Brunton, commonsku’s Marketing and Event Coordinator, you’ve met Aly if you’ve attended our events or interacted with us on social, she’s an incredibly articulate (if not reluctant) voice for Gen Z, the generation that by 2020 is expected to account for about 40% of all consumers.

After spending 10 years as touring musicians, Lucas Guariglia and Joe Zangrilli started Rowboat Creative in a basement in Chicago, that basement would eventually grow to over 60,000 square feet of some incredibly creative and progressive work.

Kathleen Quinn Votaw is the Founder and CEO of TalenTrust, which is revolutionizing how companies find, keep, and grow great people. On today's #skucast she reveals crucial knowledge and tips surrounding hiring and recruiting, what top-talent candidates are looking for in a business and employer, and much more!

Lisa Smith started her career in the business as a temp, at that time she was recently divorced and as a single mom, learned the ins-and-outs of this business box by box, and order by order. Six years ago, she struck out on her own along with business partners Amber and Dee Dee, and built Republic Promos, one of Austin’s most vibrant promotional products companies.

In over 108 episodes, we have rarely -almost never- talked about new features that we develop, preferring instead, to put our guests and our friends first. We hope you can indulge us this one time as we introduce an exciting development we are proud to announce: shops! In this episode, Mark Graham, commonsku’s Chief Platform Officer, and Bobby Lehew, commonsku’s Chief Content Officer, introduce sh...

Jay Acunzo is the author of the book Break the Wheel, which helps people make better decisions, faster, when they’re surrounded by too much information. Jay is our keynote speaker at skucamp September the 22nd through the 25th.

Ray DelMuro, founder of Refresh Glass, is on a mission to rescue 10 million bottles. Recently featured in Forbes magazine, his glasses have been purchased by Francis Ford Coppola, Wolfgang Puck, Ritz Carlton, and have even been featured on Anthony Bourdain’s show. Today Ray talks about why promotional products feel like home to him, how the industry can position more purpose-driven sustainable pro...

Today's #skucast features Ruth Verver and Beth Walker, Co-Founders and Partners of Paperclip Promotions, a distributor based in Austin, TX. In today's episode they discuss the critical missing piece in their values (missing on purpose!), an order for their biggest client that went south, and much more!

Marine Layer, a retail phenomenon founded in 2009 and known for their absurdly soft shirts, now has a custom projects division led by Andrew Graham, Director of Custom Projects. Today, Andrew discusses the story behind Marine Layer and the creation of a unique fabric blend, marketing strategies they use, and much more!

In today's episode of #skucast, we're joined by futurist and Trend Editor, Vicki Ostrom from SanMar, a specialist in identifying societal trends and translating them into profitable products. With 20 years in the fashion industry, she has designed for companies such as Eddie Bauer, Tommy Bahama and JCPenney. Today she discusses the differences between macro-trends and micro-trends, how to capitali...

Trevor Sarver is the founder and CEO of 85 Supply, a raw, fiercely original, and high-energy distributor based out of Nashville, TN. Today, Trevor discusses his quick shift from selling band merch to other markets, his advice for new entrepreneurs in the promotional products industry, and much more!

Nate Robson is the Director of Promotional Sales at Raining Rose, a supplier of fine organic lip balms and body care products in the promotional products space. Nate share his views on brand positioning and developing a brand personality. He reveals how Raining Rose leverages its quirky brand personality and image to grow sales and much more!

Big order fails. Brilliant client saves. Narrow margin orders that went south. Product disasters. Embarrassing client moments. And big, unexpected wins. We've all had them. skucon stories are stories told from the trenches by some of the most experienced pros in the business. Our stories today are told by Gillian Hammond with Brandfuel, Kevin Mullaney with Brandito, Steve Rone with Snugz USA.

Join Bobby Lehew, Mark Graham, commonsku's chief platform officer, and Catherine Graham, commonsku's CEO, as we celebrate the 100th episode of the skucast in classic commonsku style: by looking forward. Buckle up and straight ahead skummunity, it's front-windshield-view-only and we're not slowing down!

In this episode from our supplier CMO series, Saadia Bryant, Digital Marketing Director at Gemline, sits down to discuss a variety of topics that help make Gemline and their marketing efforts unique, including how the direct to consumer experience affects her decision making at Gemline, the channel that gets the most attention for a supplier, and much more!

Jay Busselle is the marketing director for Equipment Zone and many of you may know Jay as the lovable and hilarious host of #promochat on Twitter, where weekly industry thinkers gather together to shape trends, explore new ideas, and discuss current issues. Today Jay discusses how to build a brand manifesto, the difference between tone and voice, and much more!

In this episode, Mark Graham (commonsku's co-founder and chief platform officer) and Bobby Lehew (commonsku's chief content officer) share why a good economy can blind us to bigger opportunities, why sales-focused training needs to shift and why it is imperative, and much more!

In today's episode of #skucast, we sit down with Flywheel's millennial leaders Bart Simpson, Vice President of Client Development, and Matthew Nutt, Client Development Executive, to discuss how they're nearly doubling the size of their company for 2019, how they've found success with podcasting, and much more!