Creative Retail Talks with Clint O'Rear Clint O'Rear

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 How I Did It: David Blumenthal
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 https://www.linkedin.com/in/adblumenthal. 

𝗖𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗧 𝗢’𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗥,  president and owner of Creative Sales Consulting, 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 CreativeRetailTalks.com.
If you'd like to be a guest on the podcast, reach out to Clint O’Rear at Clint@CreativeRetailTalks.com.
 ______________________
Music:
"Carpe Diem" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

When your company has a Dean of Leadership Development and twelve Character Commitments, you know they take servant leadership seriously. Jim Iyoob, Chief Customer Officer of Etech Global Services, 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 Etech’s Character Commitments

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 jim.iyoob@etechgs.com, on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimiyoob/, or at https://www.etechgs.com/
 


𝗖𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗧 𝗢’𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗥,  president and owner of Creative Sales Consulting, 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 CreativeRetailTalks.com.
If you'd like to be a guest on the podcast, reach out to Clint O’Rear at Clint@CreativeRetailTalks.com.
 ______________________
Music:
"Carpe Diem" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Retail authority Michael Barker 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 mbarker@avidinsight.com or www.avidinsight.com.


𝗖𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗧 𝗢’𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗥,  president and owner of Creative Sales Consulting, 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 CreativeRetailTalks.com.
If you'd like to be a guest on the podcast, reach out to Clint O’Rear at Clint@CreativeRetailTalks.com.
______________________
Music:
"Carpe Diem" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Garry Ridge, 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 Dala

As Dean of Global Leadership Development, Melissa Wood spearheads all learning and development business-building programs for Etech. 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 Etech Global Services.
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 melissa.wood@etechtexas.com. 



𝗖𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗧 𝗢’𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗥,  president and owner of Creative Sales Consulting, 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 CreativeRetailTalks.com.
If you'd like to be a guest on the podcast, reach out to Clint O’Rear at Clint@CreativeRetailTalks.com.
______________________
Music:
"Carpe Diem" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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 ___
Skein Tones (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 How I Did It: David Blumenthal
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 https://www.linkedin.com/in/adblumenthal. 
___

𝗖𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗧 𝗢’𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗥,  president and owner of Creative Sales Consulting, 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 CreativeRetailTalks.com.
If you'd like to be a guest on the podcast, reach out to Clint O’Rear at Clint@CreativeRetailTalks.com.
______________________
Music:
"Carpe Diem" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/