The Empire Builders Podcast

The story went from a Monkey to a Mogul to the birth of a new Music Medium. Welcome to MTV. Dave Young: Welcome to the Empire Builders Podcast, teaching business owners the not-so-secret techniques that took famous businesses from mom-and-pop to major brands. Stephen Semple is a marketing consultant, story collector and storyteller. I’m Stephen’s sidekick and business partner, Dave You...

Started in 1984 in Sauks City, Wisconsin, a city of just over 3000 people. Today Culver’s has over 900 locations and is one of the most profitable per-store franchises in the US, with over $3B in sales. Dave Young: Welcome to the Empire Builders Podcast, teaching business owners the not so secret techniques that took famous businesses from mom and pop to major brands. Stephen Semple is a mar...

The origin story of the beer that made Milwaukee famous and the character behind it. Dave Young: Welcome to the Empire Builders Podcast, teaching business owners the not-so-secret techniques that took famous businesses from mom-and-pop to major brands. Stephen Semple is a marketing consultant, story collector, and storyteller. I’m Stephen’s sidekick and business partner, Dave Young. Be...

Freemiums, Baseball trading cards, automatic cigarette machines, smoke breaks, Buck Duck and Duke University all in one podcast. Dave Young: Welcome to the Empire Builders Podcast, teaching business owners the not so secret techniques that took famous businesses from mom and pop to major brands. Stephen Semple is a marketing consultant, story collector, and storyteller. I’m Stephen...

The next time you look at the white powdered donuts through the clear window in the box, pay a little homage to Martha Entenmann. Dave Young: Welcome to The Empire Builders Podcast, teaching business owners the not so secret techniques that took famous businesses from mom and pop to major brands. Stephen Semple is a marketing consultant, story collector, and storyteller. I’m Stephen&#82...

I just gotta sell ten thousand mattresses. How hard can that be? Dave Young: Welcome to the “Empire Builders Podcast,” teaching business owners the not so secret techniques that took famous businesses from mom and pop to major brands. Stephen Semple is a marketing consultant, story collector, and storyteller. I’m Stephen’s sidekick and business partner, Dave Young. Before w...

What if I could sell beer where there is less competition? What if I could ship beer to the west? Dave Young: Welcome to the Empire Builders Podcast, teaching business owners the not so secret techniques that took famous businesses from mom and pop to major brands. Stephen Semple is a marketing consultant, story collector, and storyteller. I’m Stephen’s sidekick and business partner, D...

Luck favors the heroin addict that refuses to give up! Just ask Disney. Dave Young: Welcome to the Empire Builders Podcast, teaching business owners the not so secret techniques that took famous businesses from mom and pop to major brands. Stephen Semple is a marketing consultant, story collector and storyteller. I’m Stephen’s sidekick and business partner, Dave Young. Before we get in...

Imagine these four MBAs sitting in class when their phones start blowing up with orders for eyeglasses after they lost the business idea competition at the Warton School of Business for the same idea. Dave Young: Welcome to the Empire Builders Podcast, teaching business owners the not so secret techniques that took famous businesses from mom and pop to major brands. Stephen Semple is a marketing c...

How pivoting after an early discovery with customers led them to sell in just two years for a Billion dollars. Another story of giving the customer what they want, and they will make you successful. Dave Young: Welcome to the Empire Builders Podcast, teaching business owners the not-so-secret techniques that took famous businesses from mom and pop to major brands. Stephen Semple is a marketing con...

How do two arts graduates and their buddy with no travel experience and zero technology experience build a six-billion-dollar empire in only fourteen years? Dave Young: Welcome to The Empire Builders Podcast, teaching business owners the not so secret techniques that took famous businesses from mom and pop to major brands. Stephen Semple is a marketing consultant, story collector, and storyteller....

Kodak had the cash cow, so why couldn’t they successfully transition into a digital company when they invented digital photography? Dave Young: Welcome to The Empire Builders Podcast, teaching business owners the not-so-secret techniques that took famous businesses from mom-and-pop to major brands. Stephen Semple is a marketing consultant, story collector, and storyteller. I’m Ste...

Discover the origin of the blue ribbon and American-style lager with a ship captain that lost his ship and knew nothing about beer. Dave Young: Welcome to the Empire Builders Podcast, teaching business owners the not-so-secret techniques that took famous businesses from mom-and-pop to major brands. Stephen Semple is a marketing consultant, story collector, and storyteller. I’m Stephen’...

Milton Hershey sees his first chocolate bar assembly line at the world’s fair in Chicago. Discover how he transitioned from Carmel to Chocolate. Dave Young: Welcome to the Empire Builders Podcast, teaching business owners the not so secret techniques that took famous businesses from mom and pop to major brands. Stephen Semple is a marketing consultant, story collector, and storyteller. I&#82...

The better product struggles to become more popular until they demonstrate it in a store window.  Dave Young: Welcome to the Empire Builders Podcast, teaching business owners the not so secret techniques that took famous businesses from mom and pop to major brands. Steven Semple is a marketing consultant, story collector, and storyteller. I’m Steven’s sidekick and business partner, Dav...

Pearl farming became French Polynesia’s most significant export business because two yachts were docked next to one another, and the owners knew a guy. Dave Young: Welcome to the Empire Builders Podcast, teaching business owners the not so secret techniques that took famous businesses from mom and pop to major brands. Stephen Semple is a marketing consultant, story collector, and storyteller...

The double burger becomes Wendy’s best seller without changing the price or the size.  It is a profit growing lesson for any business. Dave Young: Welcome to the Empire Builders podcast, teaching business owners the not so secret techniques that took famous businesses from mom and pop to major brands. Stephen Semple is a marketing consultant, story collector and storyteller. I’m Stephen side...

Stephen explains the teaser campaign, the glamour techniques, and the current conversation’s tie-ins that sold 72,000 Macintoshes in only 100 days back in 1984. Dave Young: Welcome to the Empire Builders Podcast, teaching business owners the not so secret techniques that took famous businesses from mom and pop to major brands. Stephen Semple is a marketing consultant, story collector and sto...

How storing your stuff got easier, the story of portable on-demand storage. Dave Young: Welcome to the Empire Builders Podcast, teaching business owners the not so secret techniques that took famous businesses from mom and pop to major brands. Stephen Semple is a marketing consultant, story collector and storyteller. I’m Stephen’s sidekick and business partner, Dave Young. Before we ge...

Kenner and Lucas make a last minute deal and an unconventional sales strategy wins the Toy Wars. Dave Young: Welcome to the Empire Builders Podcast, teaching business owners the not so secret techniques that took famous businesses from mom-and-pop to major brands. Stephen Semple is a marketing consultant, story collector and storyteller. I’m Stephen’s sidekick and business partner Dave...

What do pirates, Al Capone, and getting your name and trademark have to do with Sleeman’s beer? Dave Young: Welcome to the Empire Builders Podcast, teaching business owners the not so secret techniques that took famous businesses from mom and pop to major brands. Stephen Semple is a marketing consultant, story collector, and storyteller. I’m Stephen’s sidekick and business partne...

CrossFit and paleo diets lead to the creation of RX Bars. Starting with only $10K, they sold for over $600M. Dave Young: Welcome to the Empire Builders Podcast, teaching business owners the not so secret techniques that took famous businesses from mom and pop to major brands. Steven Semple is a marketing consultant, story collector, and storyteller. I’m Steven’s sidekick and business p...

Wally Amos built, sold, worked for, and quit. He got brought back and might have got a return on the final sale just because he liked baking cookies. Dave Young: Welcome to the Empire Builders Podcast, teaching business owners the not-so-secret techniques that took famous businesses from mom and pop to major brands. Stephen Semple is a marketing consultant, story collector, and storytell...

That is the prospect’s dissatisfaction.  5,136 iterations later the problem is solved. Dave Young: Welcome to The Empire Builders Podcast, teaching business owners the not so secret techniques that took famous businesses from mom and pop to major brands. Stephen Semple is a marketing consultant, story collector, and storyteller. I’m Stephen sidekick and business partner, Dave Young. Bef...

I just had to walk in. Who puts a jet in the front window of an office building in London’s financial district? Dave Young: Welcome to the Empire Builders podcast, teaching business owners, the not so secret techniques that took famous businesses from mom and pop to major brands. Stephen Semple is a marketing consultant, story collector and storyteller. I’m Stephen&...