Predicting The Turn w/ Dave Knox

Will McClelland is the co-founder and partner at Elizabeth Street Ventures. Will had his first taste as an investor when he supported his brother’s efforts to launch a bike company in the Phillipines that was manufactured out of bamboo. That experience, including their bikes being a gift to President Obama from the Phillipines government, have led Will to focus on investing in consumer startups. W...

What would lead someone to walk away from a 6 figure job for a job making 25k a year? For Gino Wickman, it was not only a passion for the company but more importantly a desire to save his father’s failing business. He convinced his dad that he could save the business. His dad wrote him a check for 100k, gave him the keys to the company, and in 7 years he had resurrected the company and sold it. I...

How do you predict an explosive new category? Adnan Durrani, co-founder and CEO of Saffron Road, is a good person to ask after doing just that in multiple entrepreneurial ventures. Before Saffron Road, Adnan was involved in both launching the healthy yogurt revolution with Stonyfield Farms and the emergence of bottled water with Vermont Pure Spring. In Saffron Road, he has now created a new catego...

North America is changing. It’s becoming younger, more multicultural, and more globally aware. And the MLS is banking on it. On this episode, we spoke with David Bruce, the SVP of Brand & Marketing at the MLS. He discussed how he’s making the MLS brand and clubs stand out, doing the opposite of competing brands, and embracing multicultural uniqueness. What we talked about: - Competing against well...

How do you really empathize with someone? You feel with them. So, if you’re going to create a new category that solves someone’s pain, you have to actually feel that pain. That’s straight from a true category creator, Sangram Vajre. He came on this episode to discuss how he created the #ABM (account-based marketing) category. Sangram is the co-founder and Chief Evangelist of Terminus, and worked a...

On this episode, we invited Simon Burton, Managing Director at eighteen94 Capital, to give us an inside look at how he and his team choose investments. Simon has extensive experience in capital management and investment at Chase, Kellogg’s, Norges Bank, and others. What we talked about: - Strategic vs. returns-oriented VC investments - What Kellogg’s looks for in “strategic” investments - How to b...

What does it mean to “bring the hustle”? On this episode of Predicting The Turn, I sat down with Tristan Walker, CEO and Founder of Walker & Company to answer that very question. As a person of color unable to find razor blades made for his skin, Tristan took his drive, his business acumen, his Stanford MBA, and said “I”m the perfect person to solve this problem.” We sat down to talk about the jou...

What business lessons can we learn from the owner of Oprah’s favorite ice cream? It turns out, quite a few. On this episode, CEO & President of Graeter’s discusses how his 19th century, family-owned, brick-and-mortar ice cream company is expanding into the future. Balancing relevancy with quality. Tying your business to geography. Online sales. Family businesses. Women-owned businesses. For more i...

Digital offers a superior experience. So, why doesn’t every business embrace digital? Adam Weber, Varsity Tutors, came on a recent episode of Predicting The Turn to talk about this issue. He also gave us some insight into other issues, including Why performance marketing and brand marketings are one and the same How Dollar Shave Club was able to grow so quickly. What you should keep in mind when a...

When it comes to marketing, innovation has brought about some great tools. But it’s also brought some new legal challenges marketers have to face. So, how can companies navigate these new legal challenges?  On this episode of Predicting The Turn, I'm joined by Sharon Toerek, Principal at Toerek Law. She came on the show to talk through some creative ways companies can turn issues like data privacy...

What comes to mind when you think of Digital Innovation? Apple? Uber? Sure, that makes sense. But what about a company like Nestle? If we’re being totally honest, a multi-national food giant like Nestle probably isn’t on the front of anybody’s radar when we talk about Digital Innovation. In this episode of Predicting The Turn, Mark Brodeur gives some incredible insight on how to become great at bu...

How many 100-year-old companies do you know that are still fresh and relevant today? Odds are, not many. Keeping your brand fresh and engaging for an entire CENTURY is no small feat. Thankfully, Julie Haddon is not your average marketer. On a recent episode of the Predicting the Turn podcast, Julie shared four of the ways that she and her team at the NFL are keeping a 100-year-old company fresh an...

Athletes-turned-entrepreneurs bring a powerful mental toughness to business. Travis Kelce (star tight end for the KC Chiefs and 4-time Pro Bowler) didn’t disappoint during this interview on Predicting the Turn. What we talked about: Relying on your team in business (and football), why you should be a nerd in your profession, and the difference between being a spokesperson for a third-party brand,...

In the Internet, Age security is one of the most important considerations for any business. Whether you run an online company in need of cybersecurity or a brick-and-mortar in need of physical security the urgency of being safe can’t be overlooked. One of the most trusted names in security is Allegion. Partly, because they are always thinking ahead. One example is the fact that they hired Rob Mart...

On today's episode we're jumping back into the world of venture capital. I'm joined by one of my favorite early stage investors out there, Semil Shah. He's Founder of Haystack Ventures and Partner at Lightspeed. Semi came on this episode of Predicting The Turn to talk about things like how he got into venture capital, the impact the 2019 IPO market will have on startups, and how the concept of tri...

Today’s guest on Predicting the Turn knows all about keeping it real, meeting consumers where they are, and staying on the pulse of what consumers want.  Meghan Asha is the CEO and founder of FounderMade. She’s got thoughts on why consumer brands are the new hot thing for entrepreneurs, and what it takes to be successful in this market. We talked to Meghan all about: What it takes to stand out as...

In 2003, Firehouse Subs had 65 stores. Today, they have 1,170. So, how did they achieve such incredible growth? On today’s episode of Predicting The Turn Don Fox, joined me to talk about how the company has achieved such impressive growth, even while facing significant disruption in the industry. Here’s what we talked about: How verabilizing the mission statement has been a catalyst for the compan...

Myspace changed marketing contracts between consumers and brands were forever. Consumers had a platform to distribute content in their own voice, and for the first time, consumers could tell brands what they thought about them. Fast-forward to today, and former Myspace employee, Heidi Browning, now the CMO of NHL, is using marketing to help fans have more control over their experience. Last season...

As a leader in the marketing space, Jason White — currently CMO at Cura Cannabis Solutions — has worked with some of the world’s most renowned brands. Think Nike, Tide, and Beats by Dr. Dre.  On this episode of Predicting the Turn , Jason came on the show to talk about his experience working with these brands and what he learned about marketing and the fundamentals of branding along the way.  We d...

After Season 1, we took a short break from Predicting the Turn. But guess what? We’re back! As great as our podcast’s first season has been, we’re incredibly proud to be bringing you even more excellence in Season 2. So, on this episode we’re highlighting our favorite takeaways from Season 1 and giving you an inside look at what’s to come in Season 2. 

Scott Kirsner , CEO and Co-Founder of Innovation Leader came on this episode of Predicting The Turn to share highlights from their most recent quarterly research report.  We discussed all things startup engagement, addressing topics like: how to be more strategic about startup engagement, how to think about innovation, and why accelerators have become so popular.

Chieh Huang is the Founder and CEO of Boxed .  And he still interviews every candidate before they're hired. That’s quite unusual. So, why does he do it? Well, that’s what we talked about on this episode of Predicting The Turn . As a two-time startup founder, Chieh has a lot of wisdom to pass along.  So, in this show, he talked about why “we” is so important, why micromanaging stifles your team, a...

Any venture capitalist wants to be lucky enough to invest in a company that defines a generation. They want to find the next Google or Amazon. But when you look forward 20 years, those generation-defining business will look very different. When you look at data around purchasing behavior around millennials and Gen Z, it’s very different than the behavior for baby boomers.  Baby boomers are thinkin...

In today’s business landscape, if you want to succeed, you’ve got to swing for the fences. That means being proactive, focusing on innovation, and not being afraid to place the bet.  On this episode of Predicting the Turn our guest is Stu Willson , Co-founder and CEO of Radicle . Stu came on the show to share his expertise on how to be proactive, focus on innovation, and think about bets, and why...

BarkBox started with three levels of personalization for small, medium, and large breed dogs. Then one day they got a very important phone call. It was from a customer who needed their box a little more personalized.   Now, they customize about 120,000 boxes each month. So, how do they do it? Matt Meeker , Founder and CEO of BARK , came on the latest episode of Predicting the Turn to talk about hi...