Creative Retail Talks with Clint O'Rear

Clint O’Rear, a leader amongst suppliers & retailers in the creative arts & home décor industries, hosts insightful conversations with other leaders and experts to share different insights and perspectives on the retail industry. In most cases the discussion will be related to the arts/crafts/creative/makers segment of retail.

The Lion Brand Story Revisited 03/07/2023

The Lion Brand Story Revisited Stories from David & Adam Blumenthal covering 144 years and five generations of an iconic yarn brand in the creative industry. From how it got its name to what keeps it strong and growing. KEY TAKEAWAYS: Lion Brand has been around for 144 years Lion Brand was the sole supplier of yarn to Target for many years up until Target discontinued the category Lion Brand has been on the web longer than Google The key to keeping the business within the family and successful is that no family member is forced to be a part of the company. Every member of the Blumenthal family that has worked for Lion Brand did it because they wanted to Lion Brand is fueled by a passion for the business and a willingness to change and adapt Hiring people that have an interest in yarn and appreciate that Lion Brand is a family business has been the key to integrating non-family member employees into the company Lion Brand has been able to build a strong connection with its customer base and is very proud to continue to do that Partnering with Vanna White and others has been a huge boost for the visibility of the brand SUGGESTED ACTIONS: Think long term Hire people that are a fit for your culture Stay passionate about your vision and adapt along the way as needed Find interesting ways to increase visibility of your brand! 𝗗𝗔𝗩𝗜𝗗 𝗕𝗟𝗨𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗟, Chairman of the Board of Lion Brand Yarns. Read the Inc article Earliest yarn memory? Going to the office at 54 Canal Street, at the corner of Canal and Orchard Streets, where we had offices and a warehouse. It was the tallest building on the Lower East Side of New York. I was about 7 or 8 years old and I would sweep the floors and empty the wastebaskets. Going into the office with my father was a really big deal for me. 𝗔𝗗𝗔𝗠 𝗕𝗟𝗨𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗟, VP Brand/Product Development and Digital at the Lion Brand Yarn Company. You can reach Adam on LinkedIn at . 𝗖𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗧 𝗢’𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗥, president and owner of , has worked in the Retail industry since 2000. Clint and his team connect suppliers & retailers in the creative arts industries for stronger relationships and strategic sales growth, in order to bring joy to consumers through artistic creative and decorative products. For more insightful conversations with leaders in the Arts & Crafts Retail industry visit . If you'd like to be a guest on the podcast, reach out to Clint O’Rear at . ______________________ Music: "Carpe Diem" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ /episode/index/show/creativeretailtalks/id/26151933

Revisit Servant Leadership and Company Culture with Jim Iyoob 02/07/2023

Revisit Servant Leadership and Company Culture with Jim Iyoob When your company has a Dean of Leadership Development and twelve Character Commitments, you know they take servant leadership seriously. , Chief Customer Officer of , shares the culture that began with a vision “to make a remarkable difference for each other” — clients, team members, and community. KEY TAKEAWAYS Etech is an outsourced contact center that has organically grown from 400 to 3500 employees that focuses on making a remarkable difference for their customers Continuous growth and training are essential for all levels of employees Servant leadership comes down to treating your people, customers, and community well to produce a wonderful experience for them Etech has a Dean of Leadership, Melissa Wood, that helps design courses for all levels of the company to help with continuous learning and growth Jim started as a call center agent at Dunn and Bradstreet and has worked his way up to Chief Customer Officer at Etech with the help of Matt Rocco You have to be able to recognize areas you need improvement in and be able to learn from experiences as everything is a lesson Leaders develop leaders – You must focus on developing the next generation of leaders if you want sustained success More about SUGGESTED ACTIONS Have a plan for continuous growth As a leader, be intentional about developing other leaders Read at least 1 article per day – LinkedIn is a great source ______________________ 𝗝𝗜𝗠 𝗜𝗬𝗢𝗢𝗕, Chief Customer Officer of Etech Global Services, is a 33-year veteran of the call center/BPO industry. Jim is a subject matter expert for call center solutions, with specialties including Strategy, CX, Chat, Operations, Training and Developing Leaders, Relationship Management, E-Commerce Strategy and Reporting, Quality Monitoring, AI, IT & Outsourcing and Social Media Strategies. He has helped develop, implement, and retain some of the most successful and award-winning programs. Jim has co-authored three books with his lifelong friend, mentor, and coach, Matt Rocco (President & CEO of Etech Global Services). Quality Monitoring in a Contact Center The Future of Contact Centers Delivering Customer Experience That Matter You can reach Jim at , on LinkedIn at , or at 𝗖𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗧 𝗢’𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗥, president and owner of , has worked in the Retail industry since 2000. Clint and his team connect suppliers & retailers in the creative arts industries for stronger relationships and strategic sales growth, in order to bring joy to consumers through artistic creative and decorative products. For more insightful conversations with leaders in the Arts & Crafts Retail industry visit . If you'd like to be a guest on the podcast, reach out to Clint O’Rear at . ______________________ Music: "Carpe Diem" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License /episode/index/show/creativeretailtalks/id/25855995

A look back at how Happy Customers + Happy Employees = Healthy Business 01/03/2023

A look back at how Happy Customers + Happy Employees = Healthy Business Retail authority shares his philosophy on how Happy Customers + Happy Employees always leads to a Healthy Business [Podcast first published November 2021] KEY TAKEAWAYS Happy Customers + Happy Employees = Healthy Business If you reduce employee turn 20% you increase profits by more than 20% Happy employees make Happy customers AVID Insights creates a Health ID score to measure the level of satisfaction and engagement of both employees and customers. Employee engagement is the #1 driver of customer satisfaction. 95% of products are developed with ZERO research - a huge mistake! Key areas to research Product development Shopper satisfaction Research data must be reviewed for quality to be accurate and useful. AVID Insights creates a Health ID Score for both shoppers and employees to measure engagement and satisfaction. If you can take a shopper’s Health ID Score up by 10%, they will spend 37% more. AVID Insights process Ask the questions — Right questions, in the right way, to the right people Analyze the data - critical Display the results - how you display is part of the analysis AVID is a high value, low cost model for research and insights. SUGGESTED ACTIONS Measure employee engagement and create a culture that creates happy employees. Measure customer satisfaction and listen to their feedback. Do research and get consumer insights before launching products. ______________________ 𝗠𝗜𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗘𝗟 𝗕𝗔𝗥𝗞𝗘𝗥 Since starting a mail-order company while in college (before the Internet was a thing), Michael has spent his entire career in retail-related companies. Whether developing new CPG products, conducting consumer research for national chain stores or marketing ecommerce software, his goal is simple - empower retailers to differentiate themselves and drive measurable results. While at Momenta, Michael built a consumer research team that drives the company's product innovation and provides shopper insights to national retailers. He now serves as CEO of AViD Insight, a web-based platform that enables retailers and suppliers to leverage real-time consumer and employee insights to drive growth and profitability. You can reach Michael at or . 𝗖𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗧 𝗢’𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗥, president and owner of , has worked in the Retail industry since 2000. Clint and his team connect suppliers & retailers in the creative arts industries for stronger relationships and strategic sales growth, in order to bring joy to consumers through artistic creative and decorative products. For more insightful conversations with leaders in the Arts & Crafts Retail industry visit . If you'd like to be a guest on the podcast, reach out to Clint O’Rear at . ______________________ Music: "Carpe Diem" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ /episode/index/show/creativeretailtalks/id/25491639

Taking a Look Back at How to Create Happy Employees Who Create a Happy World 12/06/2022

Taking a Look Back at How to Create Happy Employees Who Create a Happy World , retired CEO of WD-40, is this amazing combination of a confident leader and a very humble servant who has led his tribe very well. Although he was in the oil products business, in this episode we talk about a lot of things that have nothing to do with oil but everything to do with how to grow your business and grow your people. [Podcast first published May 2021] KEY TAKEAWAYS 70% of people who go to work everyday are disengaged Aristotle - “Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.” From Ken Blanchard’s class at University of San Diego in the Masters of Leadership program, Garry learned that a leaders role is to create a place where people go to work everyday where: They make a contribution to something bigger than themselves They learn something new They are protected They are set free by a compelling set of values And therefore they go home happy Happy people create happy families Happy families create happy communities Happy communities create a happy world You need to love and involve your people in everything you do! Comparison of Al the Soul Sucking CEO with the Servant Leader 𝘼𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙤𝙪𝙡 𝙎𝙪𝙘𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘾𝙀𝙊/𝙇𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧 Has the biggest office in the building Always has to be right Always has all the answers Leads by fear Doesn’t think learning is important at all Is corporate royalty Doesn’t follow through with commitments If things go wrong it’s never him/her - blames someone else Isn’t clear about what he/she wants to achieve with the team Goals are sketchy Praise isn’t part of his world His/her ego eats his/her empathy instead of his/her empathy eating his/her ego All about them and greed and what’s in it for them 𝙎𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙇𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧 Loves and involves their people Always in servant leadership mode Expect their people to be competent Thrives on learning Connected with emotional intelligence Their empathy eats their ego, instead of their ego eating their empathy They don’t make mistakes - they have learning moments They reduce fear Have a heart of gold and a backbone of steel Champions of hope Know micromanagement is not scalable Do what they say they’re going to do They love feedback As part of this culture, Garry uses a new kind of talent review system for members of his tribe to “help them get an A” and have greater success: At the beginning of the year, you sit down with your coach and identify the top 3-5 essential functions of your job description Then, the coach (manager) describes what an “A” looks like Everyone agrees to go for the “A” Then, you set short term goals together Finally values are reviewed and discussed Then every 90 days the coach sits down with the tribe member (employee) for him/her to do a self review to grade themselves. The coach asks the following questions: How are you doing? What is getting in your way? What can I move out of the way to help you be successful? How do we help you get to the next stage so at the end of the year you get an A? How have you lived out our values in the past 90 days? This culture has helped WD-40 achieve the following: Increased employee engagement from 40% to 93% 98% of employees globally say they love to tell people they work for WD-40 97% of employees say they know what is expected of them 98% are excited about the company’s future - a sign of trust! Garry uses the word “tribe” instead of team because of what the idea of a tribe means - a group of people that come together to protect and feed each other On Gratitude… Book Leading with Gratitude by Chester Elton Research has shown how healthy gratitude is Taking time to reflect and to be in a positive, pragmatic mindset is important From the Dalai Lama - “Our purpose in life is to make people happy. If you can’t make them happy, at least don’t hurt them.” Spreading gratitude helps make people happy It’s important to show that you are grateful for life as a gift - don’t send it back unwrapped. Garry’s 5 personal Core Values for Leadership Caring - helping people step into the best version of themselves Candor - no lying, no faking, no hiding Mutual Trust and Respect - treating people with respect and dignity Learning and Teaching - be continually curious Persistence - never, ever, ever give up! “Learning Moments” 70% of what we try fails, and failure can paralyze us Take the word failure out and focus on learning The definition of a Learning Moment A positive or negative outcome of any situation that needs to be openly and freely shared, to benefit all people. It’s about getting people in a situation where they’re comfortable with vulnerability so they can bring out the best of themselves. On quarterly pressure of a public company… Playing the infinite game, not the finite game Planning and executing to a 5-6 year goal Must win battles are identified But all in the context of doing the right thing with little focus on quarterly results The long term results have been phenomenal Revenue up 5x Market cap up from $300 million to $3.54 billion On having Ken Blanchard as a mentor… Taught Garry about being there to serve his people An absolute champion of servant leadership Leadership is not about being in charge, it’s about taking care of the people in your charge Garry’s lessons for emerging leaders 3 most powerful words you’ll ever say - “I don’t know.” It’s not about you, it’s about those who you lead. Leadership is a sacrifice, but it’s a wonderful sacrifice. SUGGESTED ACTIONS If you are a leader of a company or a team, study the principles that Garry shares on leadership to build a culture where your team is engaged and goes home happy. Don’t be Al, the Soul Sucking CEO that creates a toxic environment - instead learn how to be a Servant Leader to help people succeed. As the leader it’s not about you so lead based on empathy and gratitude. Think about implementing Garry’s talent review system to help people get an A through coaching and self-assessment. Spread gratitude! For yourself and your team, don’t focus on failure - turn those situations into learning moments to remove fear and build trust. Keep your focus on where you want to be in 5-6 years out and do the right thing each day instead of focusing on quarterly financials. You can reach Garry Ridge at , find him on LinkedIn at or follow him on Twitter at @learningmoment. 𝗚𝗔𝗥𝗥𝗬 𝗢. 𝗥𝗜𝗗𝗚𝗘, The Culture Coach and Chairman Emeritus of the , is passionate about learning and empowering the organizational culture he helped establish at the WD-40 Company. His vision and leadership positively impacted the WD-40 Company in both measurable and immeasurable ways. Garry joined WD-40 Company in 1987 and rose through the company in various management positions in the company. Garry retired as the CEO in 2022. Garry is an adjunct professor at the University of San Diego where he teaches the principles and practices of corporate culture in the Master of Science in Executive Leadership program. In 2009, he co-authored a book with Ken Blanchard outlining his effective leadership techniques, titled A native of Australia, Garry holds a certificate in Modern Retailing and wholesale distribution and a Master of Science in Executive Leadership from the University of San Diego. 𝗖𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗧 𝗢’𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗥, president and owner of , has worked in the Retail industry since 2000. Clint and his team connect suppliers & retailers in the creative arts industries for stronger relationships and strategic sales growth, in order to bring joy to consumers through artistic creative and decorative products. For more insightful conversations with leaders in the Arts & Crafts Retail industry visit . If you'd like to be a guest on the podcast, reach out to Clint O’Rear at . ______________________ Music: "Carpe Diem" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ /episode/index/show/creativeretailtalks/id/25240275

ETech’s commitment to servant leadership for the next generation of leaders 11/01/2022

ETech’s commitment to servant leadership for the next generation of leaders As Dean of Global Leadership Development, Melissa Wood spearheads all learning and development business-building programs for . She shares insights into the next generation of leaders and how you can build your personal leadership development program. KEY TAKEAWAYS John Maxwell had a tremendous influence on Etech and Melissa ever since he spoke at an Etech company event. Etech is more than willing to invest in leadership development tools to produce the next generation of leaders. Melissa’s passion is working with people one on one and helping develop their leadership skills. Lessons learned about the next generations through teaching and mentoring kids and young adults for the last 15 years. Reinvent continuously to keep up with the changes of the new generations The next generations want relationships Grouping information is key when relaying new things to the next generation Melissa’s biggest takeaway for new leaders is to remember that you are not your smartest when you’re on your own. Tap into the different gifts and talents of the people around you. If you want to grow as a leader and must develop your leadership skills on your own, sit down and sketch out what you think a leadership program looks like with key core concepts. Sketch out a foundation Search for content online Partner with someone Start! ______________________ 𝗠𝗘𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗦𝗔 𝗪𝗢𝗢𝗗, Dean of Global Leadership Development at . With over 20 years of leadership experience Melissa spearheads all learning and development business-building programs for Etech. She drives the organization’s talent management efforts including high potential identification and succession planning, leadership development, coaching, mentoring, performance management, career and development planning, all within a dynamic and changing environment. She is a contributor in the nationally recognized Walk the Talk published book “Hey Leader, Wake Up and Hear the Feedback”. Outside of Etech she has a pulse on the next generation of Leaders. Teaching leadership and innovation is critical to our society and future. With tomorrow’s leaders she says you simply cannot wander –you must know. Get your boots muddy! Lead and learn along beside them. Melissa has served for over 10 years as Youth Director communicating to today’s teens, college students, and their families. You can reach Melissa at . 𝗖𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗧 𝗢’𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗥, president and owner of , has worked in the Retail industry since 2000. Clint and his team connect suppliers & retailers in the creative arts industries for stronger relationships and strategic sales growth, in order to bring joy to consumers through artistic creative and decorative products. For more insightful conversations with leaders in the Arts & Crafts Retail industry visit . If you'd like to be a guest on the podcast, reach out to Clint O’Rear at . ______________________ Music: "Carpe Diem" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ /episode/index/show/creativeretailtalks/id/24869349

Purpose and Insights from David and Adam Blumenthal 10/04/2022

Purpose and Insights from David and Adam Blumenthal Creating a more colorful, connected, comforting and caring world with yarn. KEY TAKEAWAYS Lion Brand has an amazing Purpose Statement with four key words Colorful Lion Brand produces high-quality, uniquely colored yarn that stands above the competition Connected Lion Brand stays connected to the craft and the community that the craft creates Comforting Knitting gives people comfort and stress relief Lion Brand employees feel comfortable and supported working for the company Caring Lion Brand puts lots of care behind every decision they make, products they produce, and associates and customers they have Lion Brand’s Schitt’s Creek yarn line was an idea a Lion Brand employee came up with after watching the show and it’s been a success David Blumenthal’s key message is for people to treat people with kindness and respect, no matter their occupation or position Adam Blumenthal’s key message is for people to continue to learn from past mistakes and failures to create futures successes ___ (lionbrand.com), a modern neutral palette aiming to complement a wide spectrum of skin tones. ___ 𝗗𝗔𝗩𝗜𝗗 𝗕𝗟𝗨𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗟, Chairman of the Board of Lion Brand Yarns. Read the Inc article Earliest yarn memory? Going to the office at 54 Canal Street, at the corner of Canal and Orchard Streets, where we had offices and a warehouse. It was the tallest building on the Lower East Side of New York. I was about 7 or 8 years old and I would sweep the floors and empty the wastebaskets. Going into the office with my father was a really big deal for me. ___ 𝗔𝗗𝗔𝗠 𝗕𝗟𝗨𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗟, VP Brand/Product Development and Digital at the Lion Brand Yarn Company. You can reach Adam on LinkedIn at . ___ 𝗖𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗧 𝗢’𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗥, president and owner of , has worked in the Retail industry since 2000. Clint and his team connect suppliers & retailers in the creative arts industries for stronger relationships and strategic sales growth, in order to bring joy to consumers through artistic creative and decorative products. For more insightful conversations with leaders in the Arts & Crafts Retail industry visit . If you'd like to be a guest on the podcast, reach out to Clint O’Rear at . ______________________ Music: "Carpe Diem" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License /episode/index/show/creativeretailtalks/id/24580776

Producing the Next Generation of Leaders with Melissa Woods 09/06/2022

Producing the Next Generation of Leaders with Melissa Woods When employees and leaders choose to share their talent with your company, give them opportunities on their journey. Melissa Wood shares the 12 character commitments of culture and the 5 Pillars of Education to produce the next generation of leaders. KEY TAKEAWAYS Etech has 12 character commitments for their company culture Humility Integrity Positive influence Communication Creativity Courage Accountability Teamwork Valuing people Adaptability Teachability Vision Etech has 5 Pillars of Education to help with ongoing learning and producing the next generation of leaders Aspiring Leader Employees that are not in leadership apply to be in this program; after rounds of interviews, a select few are chosen New Leader Assimilation Employees are equipped with the tools to be a successful leader at Etech Coaching Suite Employees are taught how to coach the people they lead Etech has a program called Remarkable University to help with this Employees gain certification after passing all classes and submitting videos of them properly coaching employees Continued Education Etech offers classes on various topics Zone Reinforcement Etech uses this to reinforce topics employees should have learned but are not excelling in that area This pillar also involves discovery sessions with Melissa to talk specifically about the employee’s team that they are leading ______________________ 𝗠𝗘𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗦𝗔 𝗪𝗢𝗢𝗗, Dean of Global Leadership Development at . With over 20 years of leadership experience Melissa spearheads all learning and development business-building programs for Etech. She drives the organization’s talent management efforts including high potential identification and succession planning, leadership development, coaching, mentoring, performance management, career and development planning, all within a dynamic and changing environment. She is a contributor in the nationally recognized Walk the Talk published book “Hey Leader, Wake Up and Hear the Feedback”. Outside of Etech she has a pulse on the next generation of Leaders. Teaching leadership and innovation is critical to our society and future. With tomorrow’s leaders she says you simply cannot wander –you must know. Get your boots muddy! Lead and learn along beside them. Melissa has served for over 10 years as Youth Director communicating to today’s teens, college students, and their families. You can reach Melissa at . 𝗖𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗧 𝗢’𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗥, president and owner of , has worked in the Retail industry since 2000. Clint and his team connect suppliers & retailers in the creative arts industries for stronger relationships and strategic sales growth, in order to bring joy to consumers through artistic creative and decorative products. For more insightful conversations with leaders in the Arts & Crafts Retail industry visit . If you'd like to be a guest on the podcast, reach out to Clint O’Rear at . ______________________ Music: "Carpe Diem" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ /episode/index/show/creativeretailtalks/id/24288048

The social impact and customer loyalty inspired by yarn 08/02/2022

The social impact and customer loyalty inspired by yarn A comment on the Tonight Show leads to a 30-year partnership with Vanna White. The mindset of giving back and making a difference has led to #HATNOTHATE, donations to charities like St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, a wider spectrum of skin tones (Skein Tones), and sustainability. KEY TAKEAWAYS Lion Brand has stayed in the family because family members like Adam have wanted to come back and work for the family business Lion Brand Yarn was selected as the outstanding family business in New Jersey Vanna White was a customer of Lion Brand’s and talked about knitting on Johnny Carson. Lion Brand then partnered with her, as she was very passionate about knitting and yarn The Lion Brand Yarn & Vanna White partnership has lasted 30 years and is still going, which has led to over $2 million being donated to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital The Hat Not Hate program has distributed over 92,000 hats to help fight against bullying - Lion Brand has started a program called Skein Tones, where more colors of yarn are created to better represent the skin tones of people of color Lion Brand is working to make the manufacturing and disposable process of yarn as sustainable as possible ___ (stjude.org), leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. , #HATNOTHATE was launched in 2018 as an anti-bullying campaign founded by Shira Blumenthal. We encourage people to make, wear, and post handmade blue hats, adding #HATNOTHATE when sharing on social platforms. Hats are distributed to schools nationwide, educating students about the message of kindness. Check out the . (lionbrand.com), a modern neutral palette aiming to complement a wide spectrum of skin tones. (lionbrand.com), includes renewable and recycled fibers ___ 𝗗𝗔𝗩𝗜𝗗 𝗕𝗟𝗨𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗟, Chairman of the Board of Lion Brand Yarns. Read the Inc article Earliest yarn memory? Going to the office at 54 Canal Street, at the corner of Canal and Orchard Streets, where we had offices and a warehouse. It was the tallest building on the Lower East Side of New York. I was about 7 or 8 years old and I would sweep the floors and empty the wastebaskets. Going into the office with my father was a really big deal for me. ___ 𝗔𝗗𝗔𝗠 𝗕𝗟𝗨𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗟, VP Brand/Product Development and Digital at the Lion Brand Yarn Company. You can reach Adam on LinkedIn at . ___ 𝗖𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗧 𝗢’𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗥, president and owner of , has worked in the Retail industry since 2000. Clint and his team connect suppliers & retailers in the creative arts industries for stronger relationships and strategic sales growth, in order to bring joy to consumers through artistic creative and decorative products. For more insightful conversations with leaders in the Arts & Crafts Retail industry visit . If you'd like to be a guest on the podcast, reach out to Clint O’Rear at . ______________________ Music: "Carpe Diem" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License /episode/index/show/creativeretailtalks/id/23899767

Melissa Wood turns the table and interviews Clint 07/05/2022

Melissa Wood turns the table and interviews Clint Melissa Wood turns the table and interviews Clint about his WHY and his passion for servant leadership. KEY TAKEAWAYS: Melissa Wood flips the interview on Clint and interviews him for a few minutes Clint talks about the influence his Dad had on teaching him about Servant Leadership starting with listening to cassette tapes of Zig Ziegler Clint also learned Servant Leadership from many of his football coaches in high school and college Clint has also been influenced by Garry Ridge, outgoing CEO of WD-40, and his principles of Servant Leadership and Tribe Culture Melissa is similar to Clint in that she is very passionate about leadership and relationships Covid caused many business sectors to become transactional rather than relational Melissa originally applied to work in the distribution center of Bealls, but HR immediately saw she would be better suited for the retail call center which is where she started her career Her job at Bealls is where she first saw the dividends from investing in your people and leadership development Melissa started working in leadership development at Etech after being hired by CEO Matt Rocco Matt had character commitments written on a sheet of paper and wanted help making them come to life in the Etech culture Melissa promised to help Matt not just put words on a wall but to walk out what they say they believe! Her role is to create an atmosphere and culture that aligns with Etech’s character commitments. SUGGESTED ACTIONS: Don’t see people where they are - see them where they can be! Don’t make mistakes - have learning moments As John Maxwell says, when you fall down pick something up while you’re down there 𝗠𝗘𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗦𝗔 𝗪𝗢𝗢𝗗, Dean of Global Leadership Development at . With over 20 years of leadership experience Melissa spearheads all learning and development business-building programs for Etech. She drives the organization’s talent management efforts including high potential identification and succession planning, leadership development, coaching, mentoring, performance management, career and development planning, all within a dynamic and changing environment. She is a contributor in the nationally recognized Walk the Talk published book “Hey Leader, Wake Up and Hear the Feedback”. Outside of Etech she has a pulse on the next generation of Leaders. Teaching leadership and innovation is critical to our society and future. With tomorrow’s leaders she says you simply cannot wander –you must know. Get your boots muddy! Lead and learn along beside them. Melissa has served for over 10 years as Youth Director communicating to today’s teens, college students, and their families. You can reach Melissa at . 𝗖𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗧 𝗢’𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗥, president and owner of , has worked in the Retail industry since 2000. Clint and his team connect suppliers & retailers in the creative arts industries for stronger relationships and strategic sales growth, in order to bring joy to consumers through artistic creative and decorative products. For more insightful conversations with leaders in the Arts & Crafts Retail industry visit . If you'd like to be a guest on the podcast, reach out to Clint O’Rear at . ______________________ Music: "Carpe Diem" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ /episode/index/show/creativeretailtalks/id/23634656

h+h americas and Darrin Stern 06/07/2022

The Lion Brand Story with David & Adam Blumenthal 05/03/2022

The Lion Brand Story with David & Adam Blumenthal Stories covering 144 years and five generations of an iconic yarn brand in the creative industry. From how it got its name to what keeps it strong and growing. KEY TAKEAWAYS: Lion Brand has been around for 144 years Lion Brand was the sole supplier of yarn to Target for many years up until Target discontinued the category Lion Brand has been on the web longer than Google The key to keeping the business within the family and successful is that no family member is forced to be a part of the company. Every member of the Blumenthal family that has worked for Lion Brand did it because they wanted to Lion Brand is fueled by a passion for the business and a willingness to change and adapt Hiring people that have an interest in yarn and appreciate that Lion Brand is a family business has been the key to integrating non-family member employees into the company Lion Brand has been able to build a strong connection with its customer base and is very proud to continue to do that Partnering with Vanna White and others has been a huge boost for the visibility of the brand SUGGESTED ACTIONS: Think long term Hire people that are a fit for your culture Stay passionate about your vision and adapt along the way as needed Find interesting ways to increase visibility of your brand! 𝗗𝗔𝗩𝗜𝗗 𝗕𝗟𝗨𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗟, Chairman of the Board of Lion Brand Yarns. Read the Inc article Earliest yarn memory? Going to the office at 54 Canal Street, at the corner of Canal and Orchard Streets, where we had offices and a warehouse. It was the tallest building on the Lower East Side of New York. I was about 7 or 8 years old and I would sweep the floors and empty the wastebaskets. Going into the office with my father was a really big deal for me. 𝗔𝗗𝗔𝗠 𝗕𝗟𝗨𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗟, VP Brand/Product Development and Digital at the Lion Brand Yarn Company. You can reach Adam on LinkedIn at . 𝗖𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗧 𝗢’𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗥, president and owner of , has worked in the Retail industry since 2000. Clint and his team connect suppliers & retailers in the creative arts industries for stronger relationships and strategic sales growth, in order to bring joy to consumers through artistic creative and decorative products. For more insightful conversations with leaders in the Arts & Crafts Retail industry visit . If you'd like to be a guest on the podcast, reach out to Clint O’Rear at . ______________________ Music: "Carpe Diem" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ /episode/index/show/creativeretailtalks/id/22794119

Growing the Next Generation of Leaders with Jim Iyoob 04/05/2022

Growing the Next Generation of Leaders with Jim Iyoob Mentoring isn’t just talk at . With a formal program that promoted over 300 people last year, and other company leaders mentor the next generation of leaders. Which fits perfectly with Jim’s belief that you need to ‘get out of the stand and onto the field’ with your people. KEY TAKEAWAYS You want and have to be intentional about mentoring for it to be truly effective Finding the next generation of leaders must be an active, ongoing process Etech operates on very similar principles and philosophies as WD-40 with a servant leadership culture. (Listen to episode ) The art of agreeing to disagree is something that has been lost in our culture Don’t aim for perfection, aim for excellence Knowledge is power - Jim reads at least one article every day and encourages his team to do the same. Stop fearing failure - if you never fail you never grow. Leaders must spend time with their people and must be able to operate on the field instead of just in the stands SUGGESTED ACTIONS Find a mentor, Be a mentor Get out of the stands and onto the field with your people to have a full understanding of the environment they’re working in Read at least one article per day. ______________________ 𝗝𝗜𝗠 𝗜𝗬𝗢𝗢𝗕, Chief Customer Officer of Etech Global Services, is a 33-year veteran of the call center/BPO industry. Jim is a subject matter expert for call center solutions, with specialties including Strategy, CX, Chat, Operations, Training and Developing Leaders, Relationship Management, E-Commerce Strategy and Reporting, Quality Monitoring, AI, IT & Outsourcing and Social Media Strategies. He has helped develop, implement, and retain some of the most successful and award-winning programs. Jim has co-authored three books with his lifelong friend, mentor, and coach, Matt Rocco (President & CEO of Etech Global Services). Quality Monitoring in a Contact Center The Future of Contact Centers Delivering Customer Experience That Matter You can reach Jim at , on LinkedIn at , or at 𝗖𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗧 𝗢’𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗥, president and owner of , has worked in the Retail industry since 2000. Clint and his team connect suppliers & retailers in the creative arts industries for stronger relationships and strategic sales growth, in order to bring joy to consumers through artistic creative and decorative products. For more insightful conversations with leaders in the Arts & Crafts Retail industry visit . If you'd like to be a guest on the podcast, reach out to Clint O’Rear at . ______________________ Music: "Carpe Diem" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License /episode/index/show/creativeretailtalks/id/22689011

Servant Leadership and Company Culture with Jim Iyoob 03/01/2022

Servant Leadership and Company Culture with Jim Iyoob When your company has a Dean of Leadership Development and twelve Character Commitments, you know they take servant leadership seriously. , Chief Customer Officer of , shares the culture that began with a vision “to make a remarkable difference for each other” — clients, team members, and community. KEY TAKEAWAYS Etech is an outsourced contact center that has organically grown from 400 to 3500 employees that focuses on making a remarkable difference for their customers Continuous growth and training are essential for all levels of employees Servant leadership comes down to treating your people, customers, and community well to produce a wonderful experience for them Etech has a Dean of Leadership, Melissa Wood, that helps design courses for all levels of the company to help with continuous learning and growth Jim started as a call center agent at Dunn and Bradstreet and has worked his way up to Chief Customer Officer at Etech with the help of Matt Rocco You have to be able to recognize areas you need improvement in and be able to learn from experiences as everything is a lesson Leaders develop leaders – You must focus on developing the next generation of leaders if you want sustained success More about SUGGESTED ACTIONS Have a plan for continuous growth As a leader, be intentional about developing other leaders Read at least 1 article per day – LinkedIn is a great source ______________________ 𝗝𝗜𝗠 𝗜𝗬𝗢𝗢𝗕, Chief Customer Officer of Etech Global Services, is a 33-year veteran of the call center/BPO industry. Jim is a subject matter expert for call center solutions, with specialties including Strategy, CX, Chat, Operations, Training and Developing Leaders, Relationship Management, E-Commerce Strategy and Reporting, Quality Monitoring, AI, IT & Outsourcing and Social Media Strategies. He has helped develop, implement, and retain some of the most successful and award-winning programs. Jim has co-authored three books with his lifelong friend, mentor, and coach, Matt Rocco (President & CEO of Etech Global Services). Quality Monitoring in a Contact Center The Future of Contact Centers Delivering Customer Experience That Matter You can reach Jim at , on LinkedIn at , or at 𝗖𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗧 𝗢’𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗥, president and owner of , has worked in the Retail industry since 2000. Clint and his team connect suppliers & retailers in the creative arts industries for stronger relationships and strategic sales growth, in order to bring joy to consumers through artistic creative and decorative products. For more insightful conversations with leaders in the Arts & Crafts Retail industry visit . If you'd like to be a guest on the podcast, reach out to Clint O’Rear at . ______________________ Music: "Carpe Diem" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License /episode/index/show/creativeretailtalks/id/22297799

Life and Leadership in the Creative Industry with Jim Scatena 02/01/2022

Life and Leadership in the Creative Industry with Jim Scatena , a legend in the creative industry, discusses what it's like to work with two of the most creative companies — and — and the life and leadership lessons he learned. KEY TAKEAWAYS Keep an eye on your goals. They'll help you make the moves to grow your experience and expand your skills Sometimes you can impact your most loyal market by creating a new market. Which turns you to finding new and innovative ways to motivate that original market. Invest in making it easier for your customers (large and small) to order from you. "Reserve the right to change your mind"— if you realize you're going down the wrong path (even if you chose it) you may need to change directions. Don't let your ego and pride get in the way. SUGGESTED ACTIONS Look at your goals, what skills and experience do you need in order to reach them? Go get it. Build a culture of service and dedication where everyone is valued. Listen to your customers and consumers, they're the geniuses. As the leader, reserve the right to change your mind. ______________________ 𝗝𝗜𝗠 𝗦𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗡𝗔 I’ve spent my entire career (since 1976) in the creative industries! You can reach Jim at or on . 𝗖𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗧 𝗢’𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗥, president and owner of , has worked in the Retail industry since 2000. Clint and his team connect suppliers & retailers in the creative arts industries for stronger relationships and strategic sales growth, in order to bring joy to consumers through artistic creative and decorative products. For more insightful conversations with leaders in the Arts & Crafts Retail industry visit . If you'd like to be a guest on the podcast, reach out to Clint O’Rear at . ______________________ Music: "Carpe Diem" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License /episode/index/show/creativeretailtalks/id/21944312